


The Black Prophecy.

by Katianajazz



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:01:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26525632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katianajazz/pseuds/Katianajazz
Summary: Sirius Black has a twin Sister, together they are fated to change the world. Will they unite or divide wizard-kind? Either way they must work together to defeat those who threaten their entire way of life.Regulus lives.Time-Travel, Character Death, implied non-con.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Sirius Black/Marlene McKinnon
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

Number 12, Grimmauld Place was a strange house.

It had seen happiness, sadness, cowardice and bravery in equal measures. It had been loved and neglected; it had been a beacon of safety for many, yet a stifling prison built of memories and guilt for others.

The building itself was perfectly normal on the outside; it was a red brick townhouse, with a meticulously painted black front door on which the number 12 was displayed in brass. It blended easily into the terrace. 

However, If one looked closely, there were a few things that seemed… out of place. 

For one, there was no door handle. This apparently posed no problem for the people who visited the house, and neighbours who observed the comings and goings merely concluded that the owners were wealthy, but slightly eccentric recluses, who had fitted an intercom and buzzer system to allow entry, as the door would swing open slowly allowing access, yet there would be nobody stood waiting to greet visitors, and people passed into the interior unhindered. 

For those curtain twitchers who specialised in the minding of other people's business, there were several other odd things.  
People that visited number 12 were always oddly dressed. The clothes they wore were incredibly well cut and obviously expensive, but the combinations in which they were worn was distinctly uncoordinated.

The oddest, and perhaps in the eyes of the curtain twitchers the most concerning thing, was that none of the visitors ever left.

The explanation which made all of the oddities perfectly normal, and almost respectable, would probably have blown their conservative little minds.   
It was simply this; that the house was magical, the occupants were magical and the people that visited were all magical as well.

Grimmauld Place had been built during the 1800s, in the golden age of London when the poor knew they were poor and the rich knew they were everything.

The Blacks of the era wholly approved of the segregation; anything which distinguished them as members of the upper echelons of society was fine with them, including mingling with the muggle aristocracy.

In muggle society, they were Lord and Lady Black, a staid, middle-aged couple who stuck to their own social class and floated through all important engagements with easy arrogance. 

In the magical world, they were Lord and Lady of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. Their bloodline could be traced back to Merlin (or close enough), they were one of the families which made up the sacred twenty-eight.

Over the years, the Blacks fought valiantly to keep their blood pure. Other families died out, some found their progeny magically weak, or in more humiliating cases, devoid of magic altogether. If anyone suspected that the Blacks occasionally had children “the wrong side of the blanket" and with people of an inferior bloodline, it was never voiced, lest the wrath of the infamously unstable Black women be unleashed upon them. 

Consequently, it was not commented upon when Walburga and Orion, the current Lord and Lady Black, were blessed with twins, a boy, and a girl.  
Both children displayed magic from the crib and a few years later they were joined by another strong baby boy, who from the moment he was born had his stern, unyielding mother wrapped around his little finger.

Their father insisted on continuing the Black tradition of naming the children and Sirius Orion Black, Antares Hesper Black, and Regulus Arcturus Black were named after some of the brightest stars in the sky. 

Walburga, an outwardly traditional stay-at-home witch, had excelled at Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and the Dark Arts during her education at Hogwarts, although she made sure her exam results were merely acceptable in line with her father's expectations of a demure young woman. 

Being from a pureblood family herself and promised to her cousin Orion since the cradle she was always destined to be a queen among witches. Therefore she had no use for household spells or potions.   
If she or her family required medical attention, she would have plenty of galleons at her disposal for private potioneers, medi-witches, and healers, and the household chores were handled by a capable and dedicated band of house-elves. These were passed down through the female line of Crabbes; they had served her mother before her and on the occasion of Antares' marriage, they would become hers.

Orion was a doting father, much more so than was acceptable in the eyes of his wife and own, much stricter father.   
It was with some relief that he had learnt of the passing of Arcturus Black, as the eldest son he took up the mantle as head of the family.   
His mother Melanie moved into the family home, content to dote upon her grandchildren.  
Between Walburga and Melanie, there was no chance that their charges would grow up into anything but well educated, well-mannered children, who were set to take Hogwarts and both the magical and non-magical worlds by storm. 

The children were close; the youngest, Regulus, was as close to the twins as they were to each other and the three were often mistaken for triplets.  
Grandma Melanie taught them to read. Her heritage was a little more mixed than the Blacks, the gift of magic having only blessed her family a few generations previously, and she had barely passed the approval of Sirius Black the first, father of Arcturus. 

She sat every evening in front of a roaring fire, reading them the magical adventures of Merlin, Arthur, and Morgan Le Faye, she didn’t neglect the muggle classics either teaching them the works of non-magical authors such as Dickens, Shakespeare, the Bronte Sisters, Conan Doyle and in their later years HP Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe.

By day, she had them read selections of poetry, correcting Antares diction as she read, adjusting her posture and reminding her that as a young lady of position and influence, she was expected to charm the hardest of hearts with her beauty, poise and voice.

The boys were reminded that they were young gentlemen of good repute and superior breeding and that, as their parents had not seen fit to negotiate betrothals for them, unwisely in her opinion, when they reached the age where they would leave for Hogwarts, young ladies would be striving for their attentions in the hope that they would be chosen to become the newest Lady Black. 

Walburga drummed into them every obscure piece of etiquette for every conceivable occasion, perhaps terrified that her children may disgrace her by committing some heinous faux pas, by addressing the brother of an earl incorrectly, or passing the port the wrong direction at a banqueting table.   
She was an exacting taskmaster, often cruel and her children learnt not to displease her, lest they reap the consequences.

Tutors were constant visitors to the home, teaching them mind magic, potions, basic magical control, history of magic and lessons for Antares on the 'who's who' of the magical world. 

Regulus soaked up the knowledge, acutely aware that he would be two years behind his siblings at Hogwarts, and hoped feverishly that if he kept up with their learning, he would be able to attend when they did.   
He was to be disappointed, even if Hogwarts had agreed, his mother would never have entertained the idea of her little boy leaving two years early. 

Antares paid attention and learnt all that she was required to learn. She was a pretty child, her eyes were deep grey flecked with shining silver, her hair the signature black of the family, straight and sleek, tied in a French plait, using a simple charm a French governess had once taught her.  
She enjoyed the time she got to spend with her siblings, she loved her grandmother and respected her parents although they did insist on perfect manners and diction at all times and absolutely forbade unladylike behaviour. 

Sirius was entirely different from his siblings.   
He abhorred the lessons they were taught with every fiber of his being, and merely sat through them, while reading the latest edition of Quidditch News or one of the Muggle comics he had snagged on his forbidden forays into the Muggle neighbourhood which surrounded Grimmauld Place.  
He adored his siblings and he spent a good portion of his time making them laugh, something they sorely need, as they were being groomed to take their places as adults in society. Sirius didn't want to be a society figurehead, he didn't want to be a politician or a diplomat; he dreamt of adventure and travel, he longed to see the world he'd heard about in the novels Grandma Melanie had read them as children.

Here he was on the cusp of the best years of his life, at the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and his parents were acting like it was his debut into the Wizengamot.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a week before the start of the twins’ first term at Hogwarts.

They had been sitting at the dining table in the small informal dining room of Grimmauld Place when their letters arrived.

It was a good job that Walburga had breakfasted early, as she would have been incensed at the unladylike and undignified display that came from her first-born. Antares squealed and dived on Sirius, hugging him tightly; Sirius whooped in excitement and proceeded to dance around the dining room, his sister clinging onto him for dear life, chanting "We're going to Hogwarts, we're going to Hogwarts!”

They calmed down eventually and rather shamefacedly apologized to Regulus who sat looking glum, picking the blueberries out of his fruit salad.

"Don't worry Reg, the time will fly by and you'll be joining us,". Antares said comfortingly, as she sat down next to her younger brother and slid her arm around his shoulders.

"Reggie, you're going to have to be the man around the house and look after Mother. You know Father is away on business more often now, because of……."   
She left the sentence unfinished; they knew there was darkness on the horizon. They had heard the whispers, listened in on conversations that were definitely not for their ears, they knew their father was worried. The siblings had discussed it when they were alone, huddled together under the covers of one of their beds, determined to cling to the last few weeks of carefree childhood together. 

The glum young boy transformed at her words, his shoulders and back straightened; if his sister believed in him, he would not let her down. She was right, their mother was a strong woman, but he had been brought up to know that it was his place to defend the women in his family.   
He gave her a quick hug and picked up her letter, his nose wrinkled as he read the book list first years were required to buy. "But these are all books you've been reading in lessons, you are going to be so ahead of everyone else." Antares shook her head, "we've only read the books and practiced the incantations, Madam Hespia wouldn’t let us use our wands.” Sirius looked amused, his sister's voice had risen to a petulant note, she noticed and narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing, she was too excited about having received their letters to start a petty squabble with her brother. 

Walburga gathered her children together in the drawing-room, Copper, one of the Crabbe house elves had wrestled the three excited into the perfect vision of nobility, even Sirius who was prone to becoming dishevelled soon after dressing, due to his inclination to explore the undergrowth which lay at the end of the elegantly manicured garden of number 12, looked well turned out.   
Antares wore a deep green satin dress, it was cinched around her waist with a finely woven ribbon of silver and gold, the hemline skimmed her ankles and her feet were invaded in delicately heeled dragon hide boots, her dark hair was scooped away from her face and pinned up in a far more elaborate hairstyle than was usual.  
Sirius and Regulus were dressed almost identically, they wore black trousers, crisp white shirts with high starched collars, their waistcoats, were made of luxurious black fabric with delicate threads of silver acromantula silk woven throughout, and their throats were adorned with silken cravats, dark silver for Sirius and beautiful forest green for Regulus.   
All three wore formal black wizarding robes, the black family crest emblazoned on the lapels, above their hearts. 

Walburga nodded as she surveyed them, satisfied with the clear statement the three made. She took a few minutes to remind them about deportment, ordering them to act in accordance with the family's social standing and threatening dire consequences if any of them brought even a hint of negative attention upon the name of Black during their outing to Diagon Alley.   
Antares and Regulus replied dutifully with a "Yes, Mother" Sirius rolled his eyes, but at his mother's sharp glance nodded curtly. 

It would be unseemly for the family to floo into the leaky cauldron, they were better than public transport, therefore Orion, who although fond of his children would have been perfectly happy to stay at home while his wife and children battled through the throng of parents and their wayward progeny who would be flooding the alley, was recruited to sidelong apparate Sirius and Regulus, while Walburga and Antares followed. 

As Orion had feared the alley was packed, people were jostling each other, odd-shaped, badly wrapped parcels swung carelessly. It was times like this that Orion despaired of his fellow Wizards and Witches, for goodness sake, to have got to this age and still be in possession of a wand they had to have a very least finished their OWLS with acceptable marks demonstrating that they at least knew which end of their wand was which. And, in most cases that they could be relied upon to not blow themselves up. Even if they couldn't cast a shrinking charm, every shop keeper and assistant up and down the alley would oblige. 

He kept a firm hand on the shoulders of the two boys, he had no intention of having to search for them when they inevitably got separated from him in their excitement and desire to explore. His wife appeared next to him, Antares' arm still clasped around her waist, he had to admire the women in his life, the ocean of chaos, the bustle and the noise seemed not to touch them, they were small rafts of serenity and poise, in direct opposition to his sons who were like small excited crups straining at their leashes, desperate for freedom. 

Orion's eyes met his wife's, a brief conversation stretched between them, it had been many years ago when they had discovered, that thanks to their parents' insistence that they learn legilimency that they could communicate silently, sending messages flashing into each other's field of vision. 

Reaching into his waistcoat pocket he withdrew a small Black crest pendant, it hung loosely on a delicate chain of platinum, he was well aware of Sirius' wilder nature, however, handing the pendant to Regulus or even more outlandishly to Antares would certainly draw speculation and gossip from quarters they did not wish to acknowledge publicly. It would also reflect badly on Sirius' whole future, the social implications would be far-reaching, if the oldest son could not be trusted to carry out his own family's business he would surely be an unwelcome addition to any other pureblood family. 

He saw the uncertainty on his son's face, he knew that he was the most antagonistic of the Black children and he was clearly expecting to be snubbed in favour of either of his more compliant siblings. With a grim nod and a muttered "you know your duties, look after your sister" Orion dropped the chain over Sirius' head. He noted with satisfaction that the boys back straightened, he seemed to feel pride in the trust that had been settled upon him. 

He watched as his children moved through the crowd staying close together, Antares had her hand securely tucked into the crook of her twin's arm and Regulus followed close behind them. Satisfied that they were making their way to Flourish and Blotts and not straight to Quality Quidditch supplies he offered Walburga his own arm and they glided off towards a small exclusive coffee house where he could read the newspaper and Walburga could observe the passing masses and provide a running social commentary. 

Once free from the social confinement that seemed to surround their mother, Sirius and Antares relaxed into a slightly less formal attitude, Regulus was always slower to relax, expecting Walburga to appear behind him and bark "a young gentleman does not slouch!"

They made their way between the crowded shelves of Flourish and Blotts, Antares, getting irritated by the crowds and lack of opportunity to browse through some of her favourite sections turned to her brothers, "Sirius, you go and get the potions and herbology books, Regulus, you go and get Charms and Astronomy, father won't mind if you get yourself a few books and I'm sure Madam Celestia released a new book about how Arithmancy and Astronomy can be used in conjunction most effectively." 

Sirius shook his head "no way, father specifically told me to keep an eye on you, make sure to take care of you!" Behind him, Regulus nodded his ascent, "Ohhh really, is that right Sirius? Keep an eye on me? Take care of me? Do you think me completely unable to look after myself?" Antares moved closer to him, punctuating each point with a prod to the chest, Regulus' eyes widened in horror, he hated it when the twins started to argue, he'd be called upon to take a side and then everyone ended up angry with him. Thankfully however Sirius seemed to be in a jubilant mood, he wasn't going to rise to the bait and get into a scrap with his sister, raising his hands in supplication he laughed, "Fine, fine, we'll meet you at the front desk, hopefully, Flourish will have a spare owl to deliver this load home, I don't want to have to carry them with us." Regulus looked doubtful at the decision which Sirius had made, but nevertheless consented and trotted off in the direction of the Astronomy section, that new Madam Celestia book did sound awfully interesting.  
Sirius paused giving his sister one more dubious look before moving away from her, he knew his twin well, she was a perfect little lady, well educated and demure but he knew better, she wanted the same as him, deep down they all did, but only he made it public. They wanted freedom. 

Antares sighed, happy to be alone without her brothers glaring at anyone who deigned to look at her, she normally loved Flourish and Blotts, but this teeming mass of people was more than she could tolerate, she fought her way through to the shelves which housed the books on transfiguration, the assistants had erected a table on which they'd piled the required reading materials in year order. She appreciated the effort, it meant that the small alcove which housed the more interesting transfiguration books was relatively quiet giving her a chance to browse in private. 

She ran a delicate finger over the spines of the various coloured leather-bound books reading the titles as she went, halfway along the shelf tucked between two large tomes titled, "Human Transfigurations" and "The use of Hedgehogs and other Small Rodents in the field of Transfiguration" was a smaller book, it's worn black spine bore the faint golden words "Animagus - The Ultimate Goal" smiling Antares pulled the small book off of the shelf, she checked the condition of the pages, apart from a little foxing, the book was in great condition. 

She was just about to check the price when she heard someone clearing their throat, aware that the book which she was holding would raise eyebrows and draw attention to herself, she quickly slid it beneath the pile of textbooks she had held in her other arm and turned, ready to icily dismiss whoever it was who had rudely interrupted her browsing. 

It was unfortunate that the person who received the full force of her most contemptuous glare was a slightly taller girl, who was all too familiar to Antares, her curly black hair was pinned artlessly on top of her head and she had a similar look of distaste plastered upon her face. It was just her luck that the cousin she ran into was Bellatrix Black, daughter of Uncle Cygnus and Aunt Drucilla, though Merlin forbid that she ever address either of the formidable adults as such.   
The older girl leaned in to address Antares a malicious glint in her dark eyes, "I heard you were old enough to start Hogwarts this year. Just because your father is Lord Black don't expect any favours from me, little cousin, and don't expect an easy ride in Slytherin. I am queen!" 

Antares rose an elegant eyebrow, she was grateful that her mother her had dragged her along to those awful tea parties over the summer, Bellatrix didn't have the experience and her threats and insults paled in comparison to most of the pureblood women that she'd been forced to sit with, sipping tea and nibbling tiny sandwiches and delicate cakes while ignoring the digs about her plain face, poor posture, inferior intellect and various other issues with her deportment.   
"Bellatrix, how nice to see you, it isn't set that I'll be a Slytherin yet." Her cousin laughed "Oh yes I've heard all about your Father, you could end up in Hufflepuff couldn't you, I think my parents would have died from the shame and humiliation." 

Antares was quite glad that Sirius chose that moment to come looking for her, he was less familiar with their extended family and their Father tried to spend as little time as possible in Cygnus and his family's presence as possible. He brushed past Bellatrix carelessly, "Antares, we were supposed to be meeting at the front of the shop to pay, Reggie is going to have kittens if he has to wait any longer, he's convinced himself that you've been witch-napped, it was all I could do to make him stay and keep our place in the queue." 

Bellatrix's glare at the boy that pushed her aside was quickly subdued as she realised that it was the oldest Black boy, she plastered a smile on her face and leaned forward placing her hand on his arm, "You must be Sirius, I was just giving your sister here some advice, after all, I've been at Hogwarts for a couple of years now. If you ever need showing around, you just need to call me." 

Sirius barely glanced at Bella, causing Antares social conscience to rear its head, she disliked the girl in front of her, however, she needed to make proper introductions, lest the social snub reach the ears of their mother. "Sirius, you know Bellatrix, she is the oldest daughter of Our Lord Black's second cousin Cygnus and his wife Drucilla." The formal introduction worked, Sirius seemed to realise the witch in front of them was somewhat socially significant and snapped into, the cool aloof demeanor of the Honourable Sirius Orion Black, he took Bellatrix's hand and placed a kiss upon her pale bony knuckles while marvelling at how skeletal they were. "Miss Black, it is a pleasure to see you, thank you for your kind offer of assistance at Hogwarts. I'm very sorry to cut this meeting short, however, Our Lord and Lady Black are expecting us." He bent over her hand once more murmuring a customary farewell "Let our friendship be long, blessed by magic and prosperity." Taking his sister's arm he led her away without another glance behind him, Antares, proud of him squeezed his arm and bestowed an affectionate smile upon him. 

Sirius was right, Regulus was beside himself, his fertile young imagination had been at work and by the time Sirius led Antares to the queue, he had convinced himself that she had been forced into a betrothal with an adult wizard and been port keyed out of the country to live in a harem. He grabbed her, crushing her in a desperate hug, she shook her head and assured him that she was fine and had just run into a relative that she couldn't reasonably ignore. 

Whilst her brothers were distracted packing their textbooks into a box provided by a harried-looking assistant she purchased the Animagus book, slipping it unnoticed into her robe pocket. She rejoined the boys in time to address the delivery label in her neat cursive and watch the pride and fear on her brother's face as he pulled the crest his father had presented him without out of his waistcoat. The wizard serving them scanned the crest with his wand and nodded in satisfaction as the pendant produced a gold spark, "Thank you young Lord Black, we will send out your books right away." 

The small crest was much like a Muggle credit card, there was a limit on the amount of gold that could be spent by its holder. Orion, Lord Black, held the keys to the main Black family vault, he owned and controlled the main assets and investments of the Blacks and held family heirlooms in trust for the children. Of course, each branch of the Black family had their own vaults, none of them were low on gold and had full access to their own, more personal heirlooms, which were handed down through specific lines. 

The pendant fed off a witches or wizards magical signature, only family magic would allow it to work. 

When the boys reached 17 they would receive a signet ring, it would prove their heritage, mark them as one of the sacred twenty-eight, and would work much the same as the pendant did now. Antares would continue using a pendant to access her allowance until she married when she would receive a ring from her new family.

They left the book shop with relief, the alley seemed quiet in comparison to the crush in Flourish and Blotts, the boys found themselves following Antares who had gravitated towards one of her favourite shops, every time their parents had brought them to Diagon Alley, Antares had had to be dragged from Eeylops Owl Emporium. When she was three she had held onto a display stand screaming and crying until the shop keeper had taken pity on her and charmed a small kitten stuffed toy to purr and meow, he'd tucked it into her chubby little hands and his heart melted when she turned her grey eyes upon him, still bright with tears and hugged his legs. When she was seven she had taken one of Grandma Melanie's pearl and silver hair combs and tried to trade it for a tubby black kitten, she had, of course, been caught and her mother had been mortified and the three children had hidden from her wrath for the rest of the day. 

The brothers exchanged grins, they knew she'd been waiting for this day, she could eventually choose a pet from the menagerie housed in the dimly lit shop. Pushing open the door she stepped inside, a smile immediately crossed her face, she walked straight past the glass-fronted tanks displaying a range of fat toads in a variety of colours and sizes.

The small wizen shop keeper appeared from behind the counter a mischievous smile upon his face, the children gathered that he was a direct descendent of the original Eeylop. "Ahhh little Miss Black, what tricks do you have up your sleeve this time?" She smiled charmingly at the elderly man, "I promise this time I've got permission to choose a pet, it's going to be our first year at Hogwarts". He clapped his hands in delight, "well well, has it really been that long little Miss? What will it be? An Owl, Cat or perhaps something a little more exotic?" Sirius was looking at the owls, he didn't really want a kitten or anything cute and fluffy, he reached out stroking the soft chest feathers of a midnight black owl, he liked the imagery, the young Black heir with his dark, broody familiar perched upon his shoulder. If he thought about it, he'd have laughed, he was the least brooding person he knew. Reggie now, he could brood, he had periods where he sat reflectively, his brows furrowed in concentration as he puzzled out whatever issue had caught his attention. 

From behind him came an angry screech, a quiet whoosh, and a small weight collided with his shoulder. It was lucky that Sirius' was wearing his outer robes, the small bird's landing was clumsy and his sharp talons dug in as it struggled not to fall off. Antares turned around, "Ohhhh Sirius, he's beautiful, I think he's yours, he didn't like you paying attention to those owls." The little bird has sidled up to Sirius's cheek and was rubbing its head affectionately against him, it's curved beak tugging on his hair. Reaching up Sirius extended his hand, the bird hopped into his hand without a second thought, he looked at it closely, it's long talons and hooked beak showed it was a bird of prey, it was much trimmer, more streamlined than the owls which sat on the perches. Its soft plumage was a beautiful grey dappled with flecks of white and in place grey so dark it was almost black, it was beautiful. cocked its head looking closely into Sirius' eyes, he gasped and the start he gave almost dislodged the poor bird from his hand, it gave a disgruntled yelp and took flight landing on a small perch which hung from the ceiling. "I saw him flying, I felt…. Free." The old man moved forward "very interesting Mr. Black, that is a Gyrhawk, they are the largest in the hawk family. They are normally non-magical birds, however animals and birds are all capable of magic, they are accepting and non-judgemental which allows them to sense magic and accept it." Gesturing to the small bird he continued "this little one is only a baby, he will grow much larger, someone from the magical law enforcement department brought his egg to me, they found the nest while investigating a report of people trying to poach magical eggs. Unfortunately, the other eggs in the nest weren't able to be saved. He will bask in your energy, soaking up your residual magic, as children of Walburga Black I know you would have been educated in personal magic, you will understand that magic flows around you and through you." The three children gazed in awe at the hawk which surveyed them closely, their parents had educated them about the nature of magic, the bond of magic, and the difference between their magic. The Blacks treasured the purity of magic above all else, perhaps even above blood.   
"Sir, do you have any books on how to care for a bird of prey correctly? I'd also like a cage for him, I'll have to keep him in one to travel, a supply of food and anything else he'll need." Antares was almost bouncing, she was excited for Sirius, to have an animal choose you, and especially such a unique animal was amazing. 

She was just about to start browsing through the ornate wicker baskets holding a variety of domestic and kneazle kittens when she felt something bump against her legs. Looking down she saw a beautiful pair of eyes, dark and sparkling against the beautiful white fur of a beautiful little fox kit. It yawned exposing it's small pointed teeth and jumped up, placing its paws just below her knee. Its body was also white with scattered grey, crouching down she let the little fox snuffle in her face. "Ohhh you're beautiful" she breathed softly, the little fox licked her cheek, it seemed to understand and wholeheartedly agreed. She scooped it up in her arms stroking it gently, Regulus burst into laughter, "only my twin brother and sister would end up with two completely unique animals as familiars" Antares looked smiled, her fingers smoothing the fur between the little fox's ears, it was true that foxes weren't particularly common, although not completely unheard of and as intelligent creatures, they fitted in well with scholarly witches and wizards. Regulus continued, "You have both found non-magical familiars, which will irritate mother beyond belief." Antares looked down, she had been so absorbed in petting the beautiful kit that she hasn't thought about their mothers reaction. The old man clapped his hands in delight, "you are indeed a most intriguing pair, so alike yet so different, I see the wizarding world having to sit up and pay attention to the both of you." Regulus wasn't sure he liked the sound of that at all. 

It took another 20 minutes for them to leave the shop, Sirius had been trapped in a battle of wills with Alhena, as the small hawk had been named, much to the amusement of Antares who stoutly refused to name the small fox kit Mekbuda, so that Sirius could call the hawk Mebsuta after the twin stars in the Gemini constellation. The little bird was not at all happy with the purchase of a small cage that he was expected to travel in, Sirius explained in exasperation that he was too small to travel on his shoulder, especially in the throng of hurrying people that currently filled the alley, pushing and shoving impatient to finish their own shopping. Eventually, Alhena was coaxed into the cage, perhaps encouraged by the fact that Tau, Antares familiar had hopped into her carrying cage with no fuss, turning her long elegant nose up at the picky bird, before circling a few times before settling down among the bright blankets which cushioned the wicker basket. The elderly shopkeeper performed cushioning charms upon both of the cages and shrank the rest of their purchases at Antares request. Sirius solemnly offered up the Black crest, his back straight and chest puffed out in pride as the shopkeeper used his title, and offered him a blessing. “May your magic bloom and bless your family young Lord Black”.

Regulus took Tau’s cage from his sister, Sirius had his hands full with his own familiars' cage in the bustle of people, they were being pushed and jostled without anyone giving them a second glance and the trio were glad that the old man had performed several charms upon the cages. Sirius had noticed his sister paying close attention to the incantations and smooth wand movements, her hand moving in synchronicity aiding her in remembering spells which would later be useful.   
Potages Cauldron shop was fairly quiet, there were a few students collecting cauldrons, Sirius, always more eager to make new friends than Antares and Regulus smiled at a scruffy haired boy who, like them, looked to be another first year. The boy grinned back "whatcha, I'm James Potter, are you going to Hogwarts this year?" Sirius, visibly impressed at being greeted in such a friendly and informal manner grinned in return "yeah, I can't wait, what house are you gonna be in?" The two boys fell into friendly conversations, ignoring Antares and Regulus (who looked pretty put out by the entire situation). Antares, more used to her twins' flighty ways ignored the snub and moved to the counter, luckily nobody else was waiting to be servers and the assistant dealt with her request for two size 2 pewter cauldrons swiftly with a cheerful smile, she also ordered scales, measuring cups and spoons and a maintenance kit, their tutor had always stressed the importance of clean and well looked after equipment, even in first year some of the substances they would be using could be corrosive. 

She made sure that she kept half an eye on Sirius, he was notorious for not thinking about the consequences of his actions when some attractive proposition came along, and having to explain to mother and father that he had dashed off with another 11-year-old boy that he’d only met 10 minutes ago leaving his little brother and sister alone in Diagon Alley really did not appeal to her, she was, of course well able to look after herself, as was Regulus. That was, however, beside the point, social proprieties did not allow a female child to be allowed to waltz around in public unsupervised by an adult or at least the younger Lord Black. 

An older couple had approached the boys, Antares who was well versed in the Black family tree recognised the distinguished-looking lady as Dorea Black a great aunt of her own Mothers, which meant that the gentleman with his hand resting against her waist must be Charlus Potter, she had never met him, he looked kind, he had deep laughter lines around his eyes and his lips tilted up in a gentle smile of indulgence as he watched James and Sirius in enthusiastic conversation. Antares had heard that the couple were older parents and had several losses, leaving James growing up as an only child.

It was time to pay for their purchases, Antares asked for their items to be packaged and sent by owl, she gave their address and told the assistant that her brother would pay momentarily, the assistant, well used to dealing with society ladies who would find it crass in the extreme to deal personally with money agreed without hesitation before moving on to serve the next customer.

Antares approached the little group, Charlus Potter was the head of the Ancient House of Potter, she had heard that he didn’t necessarily buy into society etiquettes, however, she had been brought up to do so, so dropped a small curtsey, noting with satisfaction that Regulus who had not left her side since they entered the shop bent his head in a deferential bow. “Lord Potter, I'm sorry to disturb you…” She was rudely and loudly interrupted by snorting laughter coming from the youngest Potter, who addressed Sirius “How is she your sister mate? You seem a decent type, not the normal Black stock.” His attention shifted to her “I’m surprised at you though..” affecting a voice, which sounded uncannily like the deep well-bred accents of a good number of the Black men “deigning to associate with blood traitors, the women in your family are very particular, are they not?”

She glanced quickly at Sirius who was looking like he’d like the ground to open up and swallow him, he had just made a friend, but here was his twin sister being ridiculed by the same boy, Antares rolled her eyes, boys were useless at times, she did feel a small pang of disappointment that he didn’t leap to her defence. She sighed softly, she wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with this particular scenario, the women in the family did have the unfortunate reputation of being a little unbalanced and Cygnus’ prejudice ravings were much louder than the calm, unbiased opinions of their own father, Antares often thought that Orion should be much more forward in clearing the family name of the stigma it carried, but she supposed he knew what he was doing and she was, after all only the youngest female Black. 

“Mr. Potter, I think you are labouring under misinformation, we are the children of Orion Black, the head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black, just as your father is the head of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. We are connected to Uncle Cygnus by blood, nothing more. We do not share his somewhat narrow viewpoints. As for the slight upon the women of the Black family, do I really need to remind you that your own mother was born a Black and that the blood of the Blacks also runs within your veins?” Before either Antares or James could speak again Dorea’s voice rang out, “James Potter, I am disappointed in you, you berate this poor girl for showing good manners and judge her with the prejudice you accuse the family of having.” Charlus rested his hand on James' shoulder, his face was no longer jovial, “Say goodbye to young Lord Black James, we are going home, your mother will finish your school shopping while you and I have a chat about your attitude and behaviour” Charlus lead James away, the now sullen boy glanced back only to give Antares a dark look. Dorea shook her head, “I’m sorry Miss Black, I feel I should have been more forceful in teaching James some of the more basic rules of social engagement and etiquette.” She paused, seeming to get lost in her own thoughts, “I always had time for your Mother and Father Miss Black, please send my greetings and blessings on their magic and their house.” She inclined her head respectfully before following her husband and son from the shop. Seeing that Regulus was fit to burst and Sirius’ previously decent mood had been overtaken by the foreboding that reminders that he was part of the same family that alienated, offended and intimidated so many people in the wizarding world always brought on, Antares led Sirius gently to the counter to pay for their purchases. 

“How about we get the rest of our shopping done and maybe we’ll have enough time to pop into Fortesques for an Ice Cream before we have to meet Mother and Father?”   
Both boys nodded, too deep in their own thoughts to protest, she led them gently out, her own mind dwelling on the relationship between her brothers, she knew that she would always have close ties to both Sirius as her twin and Regulus her little brother, who looked up to her, who studied the traditional family ways almost obsessively, she didn’t know how they could reconcile the differences of their character. Regulus couldn’t see how Sirius could flout the rules so easily and Sirius couldn’t understand how Reggie was so set and staid.

The remainder of their shopping trip was unremarkable, they met a few more children they would share a school year with, but the trio was more retrospective and quiet than when they started the day, their parents didn’t fail to notice the restraint between their children, but decided not to enquire whilst in public. Antares dutifully passed on the greeting from Dorea, her father smiled, “Oh Dorea is a delightful lady, of course, she is more closely related to your mother” Walburga chipped in “She made a very good marriage as well, it is unfortunate that both Cygnus and my father seemed to disapprove of Charlus, he is a good man, albeit somewhat eccentric.”


	3. Chapter 3

Orion Black prided himself on knowing exactly what was going on in his family, unlike Cygnus who was entirely too wrapped up in his own importance to pay attention to the needs of his children. He had been sorely disappointed that he hadn’t managed to produce boys and even more so when Walburga had given birth to first Sirius and then eighteen months or so later Regulus. 

It was this knowledge of his children that had alerted himself to the strained air which surrounded the normally open and cheerful children, he wasn't overly worried, putting it down to a slight disagreement during the trip. When the children took their purchases and moved off to their own rooms without speaking Orion decided that he needed to find out what had happened, he visited his daughter's room, knowing that she was likely to be the most open and honest with him, his sons having inherited the reticence of Walburga to talk about their feelings. He knocked softly on his daughters' bedroom door, she was sat on her bed, her shopping hed been neatly unpacked, the pile of first-year textbooks was stacked on her desk, the new rolls of parchment beside them in size order. Her cauldron stood on the floor and she'd carefully packed her potion ingredients and measuring cups inside it, the large walnut and leather trunk stood open and partially packed, all of her clothes neatly folded. 

As he entered she looked up and smiled "Hello, Father." He sat down in one of the oxblood leather armchairs that flanked her bed, something she'd insisted on keeping after they had been moved there when she was suffering a particularly nasty bout of dragon pox and both of her brothers had insisted sitting by her bed, convinced she was going to die if they left her side for a moment. 

He looked down at the loud scuffling noise coming from under bed the bed, he knew she’d brought home a pet in a basket, he assumed it was some small domestic cat or kneazle kitten, but he hadn’t yet seen it. He was therefore rather surprised when a large house spider shot out from under the bed followed by a white and grey fox kit, the creature's paws couldn’t grip the dark polished wooden floor and it ended sliding straight into Orion's feet. Reaching down he scooped up the little ball of fur and peered at its slightly crestfallen features. “Father, this is my new familiar, Tau, Tau, this is Father, he’s in charge in this house.”   
Tau, recognising Orion's authority went limp, placidly allowing himself to be examined, Orion supposed that he should have foreseen something unexpected for at least one of the twins, the two of them always did seem to have the knack of drawing attention to themselves.

“Well daughter, I can’t say that I expected a Fox to be joining the family, they are very rare familiars and can be blessed with unique and beautiful magic of their own, although it won’t develop if they are in a relationship which displeases them in any way.” Antares nodded stroking Tau between his ears as he was placed carefully back on her bed, Tau glanced around the room, but not seeing the juicy spider he had been chasing curled up tucking his paws underneath him and draping his tail over his snout. “Antares, I came to talk to you, you are the most honest and open of your siblings so I thought that you would tell me what happened on your shopping trip to shake your spirits so much?” She looked up at him, his own deep grey eyes reflected back at him, open and honest as she considered her answer, when she spoke her voice was soft, her tone a little unsure. “I know what happened, but I'm still trying to figure out exactly what changed. Certain events occurred while we were in Diagon Alley, I think they were the catalysts that we all needed to think a little more deeply about the future.” 

Orion nodded, waiting for her to continue, he was proud of his little girl, she managed to balance sense and emotion with particular maturity although he had, on the odd occasion worried about her stability in dealing with people when it came to threats against the family, particularly against her brothers, he hoped his beautiful little girl wouldn't inherit the well know Black madness which plagued the female line. 

She continued speaking, “I ran into Bellatrix in Flourish and Blotts, she was her normal charming self, although it seems that she has been persuaded into Uncle Cygnus’ way of thinking and a union between herself and Sirius would be advantageous, she was simperingly pleasant to him, not that he noticed. We visited Eeylops, Old Mr. Eeylop was pleased to see us, I think he’s a little bit lonely, people forget that he sells more than just owls, lots of people go to The Magical Menagerie if it isn’t an owl they're looking for. Sirius was chosen as an owner by a beautiful bird…..” She trusted her father's temper a lot more than her mother’s, but she wasn’t entirely sure what his reaction would be to the news that their oldest child had a non-magical bird as a familiar. “Apparently this Goshawk wasn’t going to allow us to leave without him, he took a shine to Sirius and stuck to him like glue.” Orion’s loud laugh startled the little fox, Antares soothed him gently and he turned his back huffily settling back down to nap, she was relieved at her father's reaction to the news of Sirius’s pet, but she hadn’t missed the narrowing of his eyes as she described the encounter that they had had with Bellatrix in the bookshop. 

“Then we went to buy our cauldrons at Potages, Sirius met a boy there who is going to be in our year, he went off to talk to him leaving Reggie and I to order everything. I think Reggie suddenly realised that we really are going to be leaving and he will be here without us and it hurt him that Sirius would so easily forget about him. I recognised his parents, they were Charlus and Dorea Potter, the boy was James Potter. We needed Sirius to pay so that we could finish up with the shopping, it was so busy in the Alley that everything took far too long.   
I’m sorry father, I was courteous to Lord and Lady Potter, but their son James was very rude, suggesting that as a Black woman I was unbalanced and that he was surprised that I'd speak to him as he and his family were a blood traitors and I'm afraid I didn’t quite hold my temper as I should have. I reminded him that his mother was a Black and that we are connected to Uncle Cygnus blood alone and that any prejudices he has are his and not necessarily shared by the Blacks and an entirety.”   
She looked shamefaced a slight flush coloured her pale cheeks, Orion nodded once again his hand lifted her chin gently, “Look at me little one, you have nothing to be ashamed of, you are a good and dutiful daughter, you did well in recognising Lord Potter and treating him a manner which his position entitles him to.” 

“Father, I think the exchange upset Sirius a good deal, he didn’t know what to do, he had just made a friend and his friend was being beastly to his sister. Reggie was so obviously disappointed in Sirius and then I realised that I don’t know if Reggie and Sirius will be able to maintain the close brotherly bond that they currently have. Reggie is so sensitive and Sirius pretends not to care, he’s so cavalier in his attitude. I admit father that I am scared for the future.” 

Reaching out, Orion wrapped his arms around Antares pulling her against his chest, his face was serious as he reflected upon her words, he too was nervous about the future, he wasn’t sure how Sirius would handle the mantle of Head of House which would befall him, he had always hoped that Regulus and Sirius would stay close, in the years to come the family would need to be united to fight the darkness he feared would engulf the wizarding world.   
Antares felt so much better after she’d unburdened her fears to her father, he was always calm and collected, her burst of temper with James Potter had shown she still had a way to go, the arrogant little toerag had irked her far too easily.

The restrained air abated over the next few days, Regulus had decided that he needed to make the most of the last week he would get to spend with his siblings until half term. Sirius had tried to forget the scene between the boy he had thought would be his first new friend at Hogwarts and his normally incredibly restrained sister, he belatedly realised that he should have jumped to her defense and felt rather guilty. 

Antares, ever sensible had decided not to worry and enjoy the relaxed games they played, Sirius was declared exploding snap champion after a fierce battle between them, Regulus was the gobstones winner, and Antares, who spent a lot of time playing chess with their father, beat them both hands down. 

The week passed quickly, Antares had packed everything the evening of her chat with their father, Sirius of course waited until the last moment and shoved everything into his trunk so haphazardly that it took him and Regulus a good 45minutes to get the lid closed and locked. Antares looked on giggling as first one, then the other of them toppled off of the bulging lid. 

Orion shrunk his children's trunks and slid them into the pocket of his robes while Walburga made sure that her children were sufficiently presentable to be seen in public. 

Regulus slapped Sirius on the back “I’ll see you at Half Term big brother, send me some cake from the feast.” He coughed, choking back his emotions when Sirius pulled him into a one-armed hug, Antares enveloped him in her arms squeezing him tightly whispering an entire list of last-minute instructions to help him survive lone tutelage from their mother. All of these farewells were performed in the privacy of their rooms, their mother would sniff imperiously at the impropriety of the scene and mortified if they showed such a lack of restraint in public. 

With the help of Copper, the three children were eventually presentable enough to pass Walburga’s inspection, she took Antares arm in hers, while the two boys flanked their father, with a twist and a crack the two adults sidelong apparated their charges into the arrival office of Platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross Station. 

Platform 9 ¾ was already busy, a couple of porters were pushing carts full of precariously balanced trunks. Walburga turned up her nose at the noise, chaos, and disorganisation of the scene in front of her.   
“Are these people not witches and wizards? Your father has your trunks, all you need to do is place them at the bottom of your beds when you get to Hogwarts, the house-elves are perfectly capable of undoing the charm.” 

A cry of warning rang out as one of the piles of trunks overbalanced and fell onto the platform, their mother closed her eyes in exasperation adding “you do not want your belongings thrown around like that.” Orion handed each of his children their matchbox-sized trunks and called for “Copper”, the small elf popped onto the platform, Tau’s basket in one hand and Alhena’s cage in the other, house-elf apparition was much smoother than wizard apparition so it had been agreed that Copper would follow as soon as he was called to allow the familiars a less distressing journey.

Regulus reached out grasping Sirius’ hand in a tight handshake “Take care brother”, Sirius nodded slightly before turning and offering his hand to his father “Goodbye Father, may your magic be blessed.” Orion smiled approvingly “And you too my son, go forth and bring honor to the Ancient and Noble name of Black.” 

He bent over his mother's hand brushing a kiss against her knuckles “May magic bless your house ma’am.” Antares followed suit, curtseying to both of her parents, offering blessings on their magic, squeezing Regulus’ hand one more time, and giving him a wink she turned toward the train with Sirius by her side. Together they climbed aboard, they were ready to start their adventure at Hogwarts, to make friends, build magic, and change the world.


	4. Chapter 4

The corridor was bustling with first years trying to find compartments that weren’t full of older students, the twins made their way to the end of the train, there were a few compartments that were still empty or contained a few nervous looking eleven-year-olds trying to make conversation with each other. They selected an empty compartment and settled themselves down, Antares let Tau out of his cage, lifting him up onto the plush seat next to her so the little fox could peer out of the window, Sirius was talking to Alhena through the bars of the cage, “Come on buddy, when we get to Hogwarts you’ll need to go back in the cage so that you don’t get lost, there’ll be a lot of people around and you’re only little.” He opened the cage letting the bird out to stretch his wings, after exploring the overhead racks Alhena settled on the brass travelling perch which each compartment contained for owls students brought with them on the journey. 

A quiet clearing of a throat caused Antares to look up, a tall lanky boy with pale skin and dark hair stood in the doorway, he looked, she thought a lot like a Black except for his eyes instead of the signature grey they were such a dark brown they were almost black. She smiled at him “Hello, are you looking for somewhere to sit? There’s plenty of space here. I’m Antares Black and this is my brother Sirius.” She held out her hand, the tall boy hesitated, but the way she spoke and held herself seemed to kickstart something in his brain and he took her hand leaning over it gallantly, she was surprised, his manners were definitely rusty, but he tried. Sirius gave the other boy a friendly grin, determined to leave the formal manners at home with his parents. "What's your name?"  
“Severus Snape.” He said quietly, he seemed a little shy and unwilling to talk any further, shoving his battered looking trunk up into the luggage rack he pulled a potions textbook from his robe and settled down in the corner, as far away from the twins as he could possibly get.

The train had barely started upon its journey when there was a loud crash in the corridor immediately outside of their compartment and the sound of raised voices. Severus buried his face further into his book, obviously unwilling to enter into whatever confrontation was occurring. Sirius on the other hand was straight out of his seat peering out of the door to see what had happened. 

In years to come, Antares would tell people that what happened next was what secured Sirius in the annals of Hogwarts history as one of it’s greatest Don Juan's (Or as Reggie had always put it “most notorious womanizers”) she didn’t realise it had also secured her place as a witch not to be messed with.

A waif-like girl was on the floor, her pale blonde hair obscured her face, her trunk lay open beside her and her belongings were strewn across the floor, above her towered their cousin Bellatrix Black, she was a dark, menacing figure in comparison to the fae like girl before them, she was laughing maniacally, the small gang of students which surrounded her also laughed, although it was not clear whether it was due to amusement or fear of the dark witch. She was throwing taunts at the prostrate girl “Freak” “Lunatic” “Mentally deficient”.   
Antares knew her brother well, there was no way he was going to let this go, other compartment doors had started to open, heads sticking out to see what the noise was all about. Although when students saw who was involved many withdrew hastily unwilling to become the focus of Bellatrix's bullying. 

Sighing, she slid her wand into her hand, aware that things could get messy with her brother's temper and Bellatrix’s Black family madness, and for a second she wondered if her own Black family demons were a match for the crazy bitch in front of her.   
Sirius crouched down next to the prone figure, his hand reached out sweeping the hair from the pretty blondes face, “Hi there, I’m Sirius Black.” His smile was genuine and warm as he took her hand and gently helped her to her feet, she was, judging by the books spread over the floor a third-year student, but Sirius towered over her petite form. He tugged her closer to him so his body shielded hers.   
The laughter stopped almost immediately and a deadly silence descended upon the corridor, it was like the collective breath taken by the onlookers had sucked the air out of the atmosphere, nobody spoke, nobody moved.   
Older students seemed to stir first, Bellatrix was well known as a complete wildcard, nobody knew what she would do or how she would react, her prowess with her wand was legendary as was her temper, and not even seventh-year students would cross Bellatrix Black. She attacked with wild abandon, the curses she threw were dark and dangerous and if truth be told, she had no qualms about casting the odd unforgivable. 

They tried to pull first years back into the compartments, making doubly sure that their own families were safe. Antares moved forward slowly flanking her brother, silently damning their teachers and instructors for not letting them practice actual wand work although she knew that spell wise, she knew just as many incantations and spells as Bellatrix. Unfortunately, she had only just acquired her wand, and apart from the odd Accio and Lumos which she had performed in the privacy of her bedroom she hadn’t yet cast with it. 

Bellatrix also seemed to freeze, she was, without a doubt, the leader of the little gang of bullies and without her input, they seemed lost and confused. Her mind was a blur, she hated Orion and his branch of the Blacks with a passion, however, it had been drummed into her that young Lord Black was the wizard she needed to secure as her husband. Her first instinct was to curse them both silly for stepping in and spoiling her fun, she wouldn’t mind at all cursing that little bitch Antares into oblivion, but, despite the festering madness which had started to worm its way into her mind, she realised that would not leave her in good standing with her future husband.   
Sirius was busy tending to the witch who had quietly introduced herself as Pandora, helping her collect her books completely ignored Bellatrix, that wouldn’t do at all.   
She sighed heavily, “Sirius, this really won’t do, what will the family think, consorting with that sort? She may be a pureblood, but she’s an abnormal freak, an affront to magic” She almost spat the last words, her voice was high and shrill, Antares mentally likened it to the screech of nails on a blackboard, she waited for Sirius to speak, minding her place, biding her time. She didn't have to wait long, having assured himself that Pandora had collected all of her belongings he stood up. His back was ramrod straight, his face unreadable and she smirked, he had slid the pureblood masks into place and become the haughty, distant Lord Black, safe in his ebony tower. “Miss Black, I must say that my encounters with you are getting more and more unpleasant.” He turned escorting Pandora, along with her trunk into their compartment, leaving Antares face to face with a seething Bellatrix. 

This was a far more dangerous standoff, on more than one occasion Antares had spoken her mind to an enraged Bellatrix, on those occasions the room had been filled with relatives, relatives who were split in their opinions on blood status, but united in their opinions on the matter of family and would have taken a dim view of Bella’s way of dealing with her younger cousin.   
Now they were alone with a bunch of school children who were petrified of the older girl, a couple of the more noble seventh years considered intervening, but after glancing at Bellatrix quickly decided against it. Her eyes were gleaming dangerously and she had her distinctive wand held between her skeletal like fingers. They winced as she took a step forward scared for the first-year student who stood toe to toe with her.   
Antares, who was a good 7 or 8 inches shorter than her cousin had to tilt her head to maintain eye contact but she didn’t flinch even when Bella leaned in so close that she could feel the older girls breathe against her cheek. If it was possible the silence grew even deeper, every onlooker straining to hear what was said. “You better look out little girl, I refrain from hurting you only because I feel that Sirius holds some misplaced affection for you. You have no standing, you are the youngest daughter in the Noble House of Black, you may as well be a squib.” Her hand moved to caress Antares' dark locks, she was shocked when Antares caught her wrist in a vice-like grip, her perfectly manicured nails digging into the older girls flesh, the grip forced her to move even closer and the girls stood cheek to cheek immobile as Antares spoke quietly.   
“And the reason you are still standing here is because killing you in public would be crass, but mark my words Bellatrix. I am a Black as well, I have been raised as a Black with all of the advantages and education afforded to us a Blacks and I have inherited all that comes to us as women of the House of Black. Your borrowed and tired rhetoric bores me, I couldn’t care less if you kill and torture those you deem lowly. However, if you come one step closer to my brother and I swear to Melin himself I will kill you and perform sacrificial rights over your bloodied corpse.”

She released Bellatrix’s wrist before backing slowly away and back into the relative safety of their compartment. The exchange hadn’t taken very long, but it had apparently been long enough for Pandora and Tau to become worried about her, the little fox becoming frantic enough to have bitten and scratched Sirius several times while he restrained it, even Severus, although still not eager to join the fray or be noticed by the main protagonists was watching them from behind his book as she entered the compartment. She sunk back into her previous seat stroking Tau as he jumped into her lap, his front paws on her chest and his snout shoved in her face chattering in annoyance. She looked up at Sirius who was at almost every other time completely oblivious to the emotions of others, however, he always knew when something had happened that made her uncertain about her own grip on sanity, he never voiced his own fears, but she wondered if he too worried about the possibility of her having inherited the well-documented insanity which seemed only to affect the female line. He smiled at her, pulling her from her seat into his lap his long arms wrapping around her, their dark heads bent together as she related what had happened.  
Pandora seeing that she was perfectly fine relaxed as well, her voice was soft and musical and so beautiful in comparison to the high irritating screech of Bellatrix, as she spoke to Severus, leaving the siblings to have their moment of comfort. A final word from Sirius and Antares smiled and slid back into her own seat.  
“Pandora, I must apologise for our cousin, she is unbalanced at the best of times.”   
Pandora smiled at the younger girl and drew her wand performing a locking charm on the door, adding a couple of more obscure privacy spells for good measure.  
“We’re all used to Bellatrix, we all say she’s a little bit insane” the bluntness caused Sirius to laugh “Yup, she's as mad as a bag of frogs, but Tara is always awfully prim and proper in front of new acquaintances, just wait until you get to know her though, she’s nothing like the society young lady then.”   
Antares glared at Sirius and shot back “And my brother is always crass and rude, unless reminded otherwise, and nothing changes however long you know him for.” He stuck his tongue out at her, the animosity between them only in jest.   
Severus had been recalling information he had read in one of the books he had borrowed from his only friend in the wizarding world, a young muggleborn witch named Lily Evans. She had bought every single book she could find about wizarding customs, etiquette, and the who’s who of the wizarding world, determined to fit into a world she thus far knew nothing about.   
He knew he had heard the name Black before it had appeared in the directory of the sacred twenty-eight families. He was sat in a carriage with wizarding royalty, he had also read that the Black Family was dark, very dark, and the women prone to insanity due to, as the author had tactfully put it, close familial ties, which Severus took to meaning they shagged and married their own cousins with alarming regularity (Lily had protested, saying that the author couldn’t possibly mean that), he would learn later that his assessment was spot on. 

Pandora laughed at the exchange, “It seems the Black twins are blazing a trail even before we’ve arrived at Hogwarts!” She grew serious and placed her hand on Antares arm, her voice was low and soft, Sirius and Severus were too far away to hear the warning “Be careful the darkness which you possess doesn’t envelop you, the serpents will be eager to encourage you to embrace the side which you hide.” Antares was glad her brother hadn’t heard, she didn’t need him worrying about her, she smiled at the older girl uncertainly hoping that she had concealed the panic she felt. Pandora continued to speak "thank you for coming to my aid.” Antares nodded, “I think I recognise your family name, Pythia, your family are Greek are they not? I remember my mother saying she went to school with your father and mother.” 

Severus spoke up for the first time “My mother had a friend at school called Cicero Pythia, is that your father?” at Pandora’s nod he added, “My mother is Eileen Prince.” Sirius bored of the formal direction that the conversation was taking stood up, “I don’t think Bella will bother us again, I'm going for a walk to see if I can find anyone we know. If I'm not back before we get there, wait for me at the boats, we gotta arrive at Hogwarts together.”   
He lifted the spells on the door with a muttered Finite and left the other three students to themselves, Severus gaped at the door “did he just end those spells?”   
Pandora giggled “They’re Blacks Sev, they’re born with a wand in their hand and their first words are some obscure incantations.”   
Antares laughed, it was strange to feel so relaxed around the person who had warned you against your inner self, but she really did like Pandora. The three of them settled down to a discussion about the book that Severus was reading, it was far beyond the material that first years were expected to learn, it also bordered on the dark side, this didn’t bother either Antares or Pandora which surprised Severus, Lily had been high pitched and vocal in her disapproval.   
Pandora was a Ravenclaw, she saw past the label of dark and she explained to him that any spell could be dark depending on the intent and application. He didn’t need to ask why Antares had no problem with dark materials, his reading had given him a startling enough insight into the Black family to know what he was reading would look like childrens nursery rhymes to her. 

They’d been talking for a couple of hours, the stiff young man who had been hiding behind his book was still not 100% relaxed but he was certainly feeling better about his future at Hogwarts, he had been privately afraid that his slightly shabby exterior and dour manner would make him an outcast, even in the world he belonged in.   
He withdrew behind his book once again when a bright and cheerful elderly woman came to the cabin door pushing a trolley laden with chocolate, sweets, drinks, and cakes, he didn’t have the money for luxuries like that, even if his stomach was aching in hunger, he’d have to wait until the welcoming feast.   
He was looking forward to the three square meals a day and he would sign up to stay for as many holidays as he could as well. This was his chance to live a normal and settled life.   
Pandora and Antares pooled some of their resources to buy a selection of goodies to last them the journey, Antares also bought a couple of chocolate frogs for Sirius to eat if he came back. They divided the pile equally between themselves and Severus, who looked awkward until Pandora squeaked in excitement and let go of her chocolate frog which jumped clumsily into his lap. “Ohh I got Nicholas Flamel, I love him, he is a genius, he is 100’s of years old.” Severus carefully caught the frog, scared it would jump again and the chocolate would be wasted, Antares grinned at him, "The spell only allows them to jump once." Pandora, more interested in the trading cards hidden within the gaudy boxes than the chocolatey treat ripped open another box slipped out the card, snapped the lid shut, and handed it to Severus.   
He considered being proud and stubborn and handing the frogs back to her, but the growling of his stomach, the delicious scent of good quality chocolate, and the behaviour of the girls who had included him drove him to take a small bite. He was right, the chocolate was sweet and creamy, much better than the muggle chocolate Lily had shared with him on the odd occasion. 

Sirius didn’t come back to the compartment before the train reached Hogsmeade station, it was perhaps just as well as the trio were fairly inundated with visitors for the rest of the trip, third and fourth-year girls had caught glimpses (or even just heard gossip) of the altercation between Pandora and Bellatrix and the subsequent rescue carried out by the dashing first year Sirius Black, none of them would normally deign to cast a glance upon any mere firsty, but for him, they were prepared to make an exception. They were either unaware or uncaring that the dark-haired girl sat next to Pandora was Sirius’ sister as they gasped and giggled about the raven-haired boy with alabaster skin, high cheekbones, and eyes like silver lined pits of passion. It was a description that made Antares feel slightly nauseous and she rolled her eyes in disgust, she was sorely tempted to make a harsh comment about their lack of metaphoric talents when she caught the look on Severus’ face which so exactly mirrored her own disgust that she had to bite back a laugh. She did however bestow a friendly grin in his direction, his pale cheeks flushed and he once again lifted his book to his face. 

A more agreeable interruption was a sandy-haired boy who stopped by their compartment, he was shy and unsure of himself, he looked a little bit shabby and he carried a book bag which seemed to be about to burst at the seams under the load it held. Recognising a fellow book lover and academic Antares and Pandora greeted him warmly offering him a seat, he accepted and slid onto the seat next to Severus. He responded more readily to the introductions of the girls “Hi, I'm Remus Lupin, the compartments further down were getting a little bit too rowdy.” He glancing sideways at Antares deciding it would be less unpleasant if he got this part of the conversation out of the way immediately. "My dad’s a wizard, my mum is a Muggle.” She sighed, this was a regular occurrence so it really did start to pall, “Yes, I’m one of those Blacks, but Cygnus is merely an Uncle. We’re infamous.” Pandora giggled “By the time you and Sirius have completed Hogwarts nobody will doubt the House of Black.” 

Severus lowered his book he looked thoughtful, his words made Antares freeze, “My Mother told me that her friend Cicero had the gift of seeing….” the question that was on his lips went unasked but Pandora understood the silence, “Yes he does, well at least partial sight, we see flashes of things, feel things when we meet people.” 

She was sensitive enough to realise that Antares might not feel at all comfortable with people she had only just met knowing the feeling of triumph and desperation that contact with Antares and Sirius inspired in her, she wondered how much time she could spend in their presence, the cocktail of emotions was a heady mix that made her head and her heart buzz in elation and fear. 

The arrival and disembarkation from the express was even more chaotic than the scene at Kings Cross, a couple of station masters were trying to divide the students, herding the unsorted first years towards two men, both of whom looked a little frazzled. Antares had studied every available piece of literature she could about Hogwarts and had quizzed her mother and father intensely.   
One of the men she knew had to be Rubeus Hagrid, Half-Giant and Gamekeeper of Hogwarts, the smaller, normal-sized man, was Professor Silvanus Kettleburn, he had a wooden peg leg, and not for the first time Antares wondered about the logic of the wizarding world, they could do so many amazing things, but people like Silvanus were still hopping around like muggles.   
Tau hopped back into his basket settling down quickly tucking his tail over his nose and Alhena obediently reentered his cage with a little bit of edible bribery. She also collected up the Chocolate frogs she had bought for Sirius, Pandora gave her a quick hug and skipped off towards where the carriages were parked. 

Severus and Remus followed her out onto the platform, both clutching the books that they’d been reading, she heard Sirius before she saw him, it was fortunate that he stood head and shoulders above her as she wouldn’t have been able to spot him above the heads of the sea of bustling students, he pushed his way through. 

To her displeasure the dark-haired James Potter was with him along with a boy she didn’t know, he was small and pudgy, his brown hair hung lankly over his forehead and looked unwashed, his clothes, however, were expensive and well cut which confused her first impressions of him. 

Sirius pulled her into a hug kissing the top of her head, earning her a few jealous looks, which she returned with amusement, the Blacks may be well known for marrying their own cousins, but even their family’s inbreeding didn’t extend that far. “Tara this is Peter and…..” he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly “you’ve met James.” 

He saw Remus and Severus standing nearby and grinned “Hey Remus, we wondered where you’d gone. There are only four people per boat and Antares promised to come with me, he saw the dubious look that passed between James and Antares and made a choice. “Severus and Remus can share with us and we’ll see you at the sorting ceremony ok?” He tugged his sister along with him towards the boats, James shrugged and dragged Peter in the opposite direction, he liked Sirius and would wait for him at the feast, if he was right it would be the last few moments that Antares would spend with her brother, the sorting wouldn’t go the way she hoped. 

Sirius helped his sister into the boat much to the bemusement of Remus and Severus who had both witnessed some of his less gentlemanly behaviour on the train, she smiled at him as they sat in the front of the boat, Remus gestured for Severus to climb in first and then followed cautiously. Both boys noticed that Antares and Sirius were holding hands, their heads bent towards each other as they spoke quietly, they felt a little bit like they were intruding on a private moment, the odd fragment of conversation drifted to them on the breeze which was blowing across the Black Lake. Sirius was saying something about “Normality” while Antares seemed to be pleading with him, “duty”, “expectations” and “can’t shoulder it all” were heard. 

Remus leant into Severus’ side “I think I’m glad that my family is largely unknown in the wizarding world, my worries amount to not being able to keep up with school work and being friendless.” Severus nodded silently, he wasn’t sure how he felt about having a muggle surname in the wizarding world, he had read about Hogwarts and felt that he was destined to become a Slytherin, he knew he was smart, he also had a healthy dose of self-preservation and ambition. Being a half-blood would certainly not advance his prospects in that house.


	5. Chapter 5

James and Peter rejoined the little group as they gathered on the shore, they had found another couple of first-year boys to share a boat who shyly introduced themselves as Frank Longbottom and Chadwick Cholderton the four of them were suspiciously wet and drawing unfriendly glances from Professor Kettleburn, he cleared his throat and cast a wandless Sonorus on himself, “We will now be walking up to the Castle, please stick to the path, it is dark and there are lots of plants and creatures on the school grounds that can be unpredictable.” 

Looking pointedly at James and Peter he added “If anyone disobeys me they will be going into their new house with point deductions and detentions. Do I make myself clear?” A chorus of “yes professor” rose from the group, Frank muttered quietly “My mother will kill me if I earn detention in the first term, let alone before I'm sorted, I do not need that kind of hassle.” Chadwick seemed to agree and the two boys moved away from James and Peter who were jostling each other close to the path edge. 

Antares saw her brother looked amused at their antics, she was not and she had no intention of having to explain to her mother and father how she allowed her wayward twin earn a detention in his first 10 minutes at Hogwarts. She took his arm and tugged him towards Remus and Severus who were walking silently next to each other,   
“I got you some Chocolate Frogs.” She handed him the bright boxes, he smiled gratefully at her, the chocolate distracted him from thoughts of James and Peter and he walked next to her all the way to the imposing front doors of Hogwarts.   
Professor Kettleburn raised his walking stick bringing it down to rap against the door three times, they swung open slowly and silently, he gestured for them to enter which they did with some trepidation. A pretty middle-aged witch with a stern expression stood just inside the entrance hall waiting for them as they filed in silently, awe overcoming them, even James and Peter were quiet. 

“Welcome to Hogwarts, as some of you may know I am Professor McGonagall, through those doors is the Great Hall, you will take all of your meals in the hall, student council meetings and elections will take place here, and all of our annual balls. The most important event that will take place beyond those doors during your time at Hogwarts is your very own sorting ceremony, each of you will be sorted into one of the four houses, these are, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. "

Sirius felt Antares squeeze his hand slightly, he felt his heart sink a little, he knew the expectation of the family was that the children were sorted into the house of the snakes, when he was younger he had been enthusiastic, he couldn't wait to come to Hogwarts, become a Slytherin and rule the house with his sister. 

The preceding years had shaken his beliefs to their very core, the prejudices that a large majority of his family was known for, and the darkness which came with the name of Black had made him question where he belonged, he wanted desperately to stay with his sister, but now as he stood here, mere moments away from sorting he wasn’t sure what would happen. 

Professor McGonagall continued “your house will be your family while you are at Hogwarts, they will share your triumphs and defeats. You will share living quarters, you will get to know each other intimately and you will care for each other.”   
She opened the doors of the Great Hall with a wave of her hand and strode forward, the first years followed her aware of hundreds of pairs of eyes turned towards them, scrutinising the newest students.   
A few older students prepared their Galleons for a game of “Guess the house” a profitable game that would fund a few students' first yearly trip to Hogsmeade. 

The hall fell silent as the same rickety stool and ragged hat that had sorted all of its inhabitants was brought forward onto a small raised dais, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat "When your name is called please step forward and sit on the stool, this is the sorting hat, he is an ancient and valuable artifact, he has been used to sort students for generations." She unrolled the scroll of parchment she held and called “Lucretia Abbott” a terrified squeak rose from a slightly chubby blonde, the girl next to her had to shove her forward, she stumbled slightly as she climbed onto the dais, Professor McGonagall dropped the hat onto her head, it had hardly touched the blonde hair before it shouted “Hufflepuff”, and the small girl almost ran to the Hufflepuff table, blushing as the students clapped and cheered her on in welcome. 

A sigh of relief seemed to ripple through the first years, siblings and older friends had told them that the sorting was a horrific experience. 

“Amacyus Alderton” was sorted into Hufflepuff, “Graham Alton” was the first Ravenclaw, “Hortensia Avery” the first Slytherin, “Marcus Belby” another Ravenclaw. Several galleons exchanged hands good-naturedly. 

“Antares Black”, she squeezed Sirius’s hand, he didn’t want to seem to let go and she gave him a smile, her heart was beating fast, she could feel the pulse in her neck, she knew that for some reason the decision that was made here and now was one that would rock her world and change everything.   
Straightening her back she stepped forward, looking every bit the pureblood princess she was brought up to be. 

Not one Galleon was placed, not one bet made, this was a sure thing, everyone knew she would be a snake. 

The hat settled over her brow obscuring her vision, a deep voice reverberated through her head “Ahhh yes, we’ve been expecting you, one of the twins of darkness.” She grimaced internally at the moniker that seemed to have been placed upon her and Sirius, ever since they’d been little, the whisper of “twins of darkness” had followed them, their parents had explained it was merely a product of peoples humor at their surname of Black, something they had later found to be a false platitude from well-meaning parents. 

“Well aren’t you a contradiction little Miss Black, you have fairness in your heart, a great capacity for love and friendship, but that vicious streak is a mile wide and the darkness within you seems to have been woken. Yes, you’ll do well as one of the Black heirs.”

She was glad the running commentary was taking place inside her head, she really didn’t want to start her Hogwarts career with a Bellatrix type reputation. 

Sirius looked on nervously, a small burst of hope flooded his heart, his sisters sorting was taking longer than the other students had taken, perhaps Antares would surprise everyone with her sorting and he wouldn’t have to make the hard choice which was confronting him.   
A few more seconds passed before the hat shouted “Slytherin” and the hope in his heart was crushed, his sister rose gracefully and walked calmly towards the end table to restrained applause, once she had taken her seat he caught her eye and she smiled at him, the sweet and accepting look that she’d given him a million times, the smile he felt was reserved for him, it made him feel loved. 

“Sirius Black” a few students from the older families started to whisper, children from the Black family were sorted every year, but these were the twins their parents referred to as the twins of darkness. 

He stepped up, outwardly he looked cool, calm, and collected, a facade that was effortless having been practiced by the Black children since they were old enough to realise that their faces gave away their guilt, which they were punished for. Sitting down on the stool he took a deep breath, the voice filled his head, it’s voice was gentle and understanding, so different to the harsh drawl Antares had heard “Ahh yes, one of the so-called twins of darkness, I sense confusion and conflict within your heart. Destiny says you must strike out alone to discover your true self and who am I to argue with Destiny?”   
There was a pause and Sirius felt like he was struggling to breathe, isn’t this what he had felt for so long? His own identity was shrouded by the all-encompassing cloak of his family, he was drowning in propriety, etiquette, and society protocols when all he wanted was freedom. 

The voice continued “Of course you could take the easy route and follow your twin. Or you could be your own person, she is strong, let her shoulder the responsibility for your house.” Sirius swallowed down the bile he felt rising into his throat at the thought of separation from his twin at leaving her to perform her duty as was expected of her. But he had to do it. He wasn't as strong as Antares, he couldn't handle that pressure. Not Slytherin he thought, not with Bellatrix who wanted to capture him as her husband, Not Slytherin where he would become an automatic leader as Lord Black of the Ancient and Noble House of Black. He felt the hat’s satisfaction as it shouted “Gryffindor”. 

The hall was immediately in an uproar, the Gryffindors as one body stood cheering and clapping, Sirius, the first student sorted into their house was a Black it was a feather in their cap. Slytherins were looked dumbfounded, Sirius was the first Black not sorted into their house in generations, their attention was drawn towards Antares and in that moment she resented him, she could feel her heart break a little and tears well up in her eyes, they were tears she couldn’t afford to let show. She was in the snake pit now and sadness would only make her look weak in the eyes of her fellow Slytherins.

She was intelligent enough to not be surprised, he was her twin, she knew he struggled with carrying the mantle of Lord Black and desired freedom above all else, he glanced once in her direction, she gave him a small nod and forced that understanding smile onto her face, although she wasn’t convinced that her eyes had carried the same conviction. He was enveloped by a mass of gold and crimson and lost to her. Looking down at the table she managed to gather herself before raising her head challengingly.

Once the uproar had died down the sorting proceeded, Sirius’ shock sorting seemed to have given other students the courage to be sorted outside of their expected houses, leading to some mad and profitable betting and more than one older sibling dissolving into unrestrained sobs at the thought of being separated from their family.

Bellatrix’s attention hadn’t left Antares throughout the sorting, she sat between her younger sister Narcissa and a beefy young man who leered at her, Antares sighed, she’d have to ascertain her position before things started to go downhill, with Sirius by her side, this would have been far easier.   
She arched her brow at Bellatrix in silent enquiry, the older girl wasn’t about to let a mere firsty make a fool out of her in front of the rest of the house and now the sorting had finished there was less chance of their conversation being overheard by the wrong people. “You thought Sirius would be here to protect you didn’t you little cousin? Thought you would lord it over us as his right hand?”   
Severus, who predictably had been sorted into Slytherin was sat next to Antares, looking on nervously, Sirius had muttered to him, just before he went to be sorted “look after her” like he knew that he wouldn't be there to do it himself, he wasn’t entirely sure he liked the buck being passed to him, from what he’d seen Antares liked to sail entirely too close to the wind for his liking, a fact which was bourne out with her next words. Words that were clear enough to be heard by the entire table, who despite the outer appearance of not paying attention were listening with rapt attention to the drama which seemed to be unfolding before them.   
“Shut up Bella you mad bitch, nobody’s impressed by your insanity, it's an inheritance, not a talent. Do you know, I think the muggles have the right idea, they put mad dogs down.”   
She ignored the gasps of the rest of the table and started to fill her plate daintily from the dishes which had appeared on the table in front of them. Nobody was surprised at the reaction of Bellatrix who almost leapt across the table, desperate to get her hands on the cocky first-year who dismissed her so easily.

From the other side of the hall Sirius and Remus looked on in horror as the seventh year slammed into Antares, taking her to the floor, Remus had to hold Sirius back by his robes. “You can’t just storm across there and take her on, Severus said he’d look after her didn't he? Plus Bellatrix attacked her in front of the entire school including the professors.” 

As it was none of the students had the chance to intervene, Professor Slughorn, who had been introduced as the Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House was on his feet in an instant. He swept down the steps from the head table his wand in hand, an Auror level crowd control spell exploded into the air above his house table.   
He reached the struggling girls, the larger girl was not having as much luck as she had expected, her cousin, although outwardly a perfect pureblood princess interested only in society gossip, charity work and needlepoint was a surprisingly nasty opponent.   
Her long pale fingers had gone straight for the neck, wanting to choke the life out of the insolent 11-year-old, what she didn’t bank on was a small, white fox kit slipping out of his mistresses robes and fastening its sharp little teeth around her wrist with fierce tenacity.   
Antares, vicious herself drove her delicate looking boots into the shins of her attacker, they were, exquisite boots, beautifully hand embroidered, black silk on black dragonhide, they were also nowhere near as delicate as they looked. The pointed toes were capped with dragon scales which made them perfect weapons. Her fingers dug deeply into the sides of the other girl, to observers it merely looked like she was struggling, trying to pry the older girl off of her, but her sharp nails dug painfully into Bellatrix' flesh.   
Bellatrix was eventually ripped off of the younger girl, looking the worse for wear, Tau was growling, still not letting go of Bella’s wrist. Severus remembering his place as a gentleman reached a hand down to Antares, she smiled allowing him to help her to her feet. She brushed herself off slowly and ran her hand through her mussed hair smoothing it back down.   
A dry voice addressed her, “Miss Black, please remove your familiar from Miss Black.” She looked up meeting the eyes of Professor Slughorn with perfect innocence, “Oh I’m very sorry Professor” She clicked her fingers “Tau come here.” the small fox gave another shake of his head, drawing a pained groan from Bellatrix before letting go, dropping agilely to the floor and slinking under her robes. Antares smiled softly murmuring to the small kit, "you're such a good boy."  
Slughorn nodded before calling “Madam Pomfrey, I’m very sorry to disturb your meal, but it seems that Miss Black requires your assistance.” Bellatrix glared at Antares who ignored her and sat down once again, next to Severus, she kept her head down and her mouth closed.   
“Miss Black, I will let you enjoy the rest of the feast but we will need to discuss this.” She nodded glumly, but answered him respectfully, “Yes, Professor.”

Bella didn't have a choice and was led from the hall by the stiffly starched nurse marking an end to the drama. At the Gryffindor table students turned to Sirius who was sitting with his head resting in his hands, his sister always managed to give him heart palpitations. 

He knew that Bellatrix was insane, but had no doubt that his sister had purposefully goaded Bellatrix into attacking her, he also knew the news of the fight would never be reported to their parents' by either Antares of Bellatrix, there was no way in which it could be told where Bellatrix didn’t look bad and as much as Cygnus hated Orion, he wasn’t stupid enough to antagonise him directly. 

James Potter’s attitude toward Antares seemed to have just gotten a lot more complicated, “mate, your sister is pretty when she’s being fierce.”   
Little Peter Pettigrew nodded his watery little eyes fixed upon Antares on the other side of the hall, his tongue wetting his lips hungrily. Remus felt a surge of protection, not liking the way that Peter was staring at her and I’drowl escaped his lips, Sirius glanced at him, but didn’t question it, he seemed to agree, not at all liking guys looking at her in that way.  
He was also aware of budding friendships in the making so instead of giving them the dressing down he wanted to he punched James on the arm. “Mate, that’s my sister I don’t need you talking about her like that.” He glanced at Peter who was almost drooling and added “or looking at her like that.”

Meanwhile, at the Slytherin table, Severus was hissing at Antares “Are you completely out of your mind, she’s a seventh year and even though I don’t live in the wizarding world, I know that woman is as crazy as a bag of frogs” Antares was stroking the little fox who had come out from under her robes the moment Bellatrix had be lead from the hall. 

She wasn’t feeling hungry anymore, she knew that Severus was partially right, but he didn’t understand the intricate hierarchy which existed within the Black family and the House he had just been sorted into.

Her hand twitched, she longed to rub her neck, the older girl had broken the skin, small droplets of blood stood out against her pale skin and it ached when she breathed, but she wouldn’t show weakness. Turning to him she smiled speaking to him in a low voice, "Tradition dictates that she can’t kill me, my father is her family patriarch, I may be the youngest female Black, but by being the daughter of the patriarch I outrank her in the familial hierarchy, if she took my life, my father would be legally bound to cast her and her entire family from the House of Black. That would not be the end of the world for her mother, Druella was a Rosier before she married Cygnus and if her family were willing they could recall her dowry and reinstate her into the Rosier family. Cygnus however being a Black by birth would lose everything, his name, his home, his fortune as well as all influence he had in society. Narcissa and Andromeda would be in a slightly different position they would essentially be without a family, of course, the Rosiers' could adopt them into their house although a lot of families are wary of having too many daughters. The probable outcome would be my father taking them into the bosom of our family as their paterfamilias.” 

A cheerful voice interrupted the quiet conversation, “Quite right my dear cousin, but as eager as I'd be to join your branch of the Blacks, let’s try not to hurry that event along by antagonising Bella more than necessary?” 

Antares laughed as she turned to face another one of the Blacks, “Severus Snape, this is another one of my cousins, Andromeda Black, Andromeda, this is Severus.” The older girl smiled in greeting at Severus and raising her wand healed Antares neck, before plonking herself down in a space she made by shoving a second year out of the way. “Antares, you really need to be careful, Bella has grown more unstable than ever over the summer. We need to talk more, but not here. Find me when you’ve got your timetable and we’ll meet, I think Cissy would like to talk to you as well.” She reached out and took a handful of cookies before standing up and wandering out of the hall followed by a couple of other Slytherin fifth years. 

“Narcissa is down there, sat next to the pretty blond boy, who must be Lucius Malfoy, his father is much like Uncle Cygnus in beliefs, but I've never met his son.” Severus watched and listened as she pointed out the more influential members of the Slytherin house to him, he felt like he had hit the jackpot by meeting her, he was ambitious but his ambitions would only be brought to fruition by hard work and knowing the right people. If he stayed on her good side, he could at the very least ride her coattails. 

To Antares, the rest of the feast dragged she only half listened to Dumbledore's speech. Professor Slughorn and Madam Pomfrey had returned to the Great Hall sometime earlier, she noted Bellatrix was not with them, so she was either currently being punished, or the damage Tau and her had inflicted upon the older girl was significant enough for her to be confined to the hospital wing. 

At last, they were dismissed, the older students flooded out of the hall talking loudly meeting up with friends they hadn’t seen on the train and had been sat too far apart to gossip with, the first years stayed close to the prefects who herded them towards the dungeon like strays.

Severus was deep in thought as he followed the prefects down the stone-clad corridors, there were two prefects from third to seventh year a girl and a boy, he learnt they had extra duties and powers, including supervising study sessions and corridor patrols. They could take points and send reports to heads of houses if they found students contravening any of the Hogwarts School Rules. 

The blonde-haired young man that Antares had pointed out as being Lucius Malfoy approached them after the feast, Antares had dipped her head and greeted him quietly “Good Evening Lord Malfoy” he had smiled at her, he clearly approved of her pretty manners, his voice was deep and flowed over them like velvet “Good Evening Miss Black, I see the rumors of your….” he paused and seemed to be looking for the right word, eventually he continued “vitality have not been exaggerated”.   
Antares blushed “I’m sorry my Lord, I realise how unbecoming my behaviour thus far has been, I am deeply ashamed that I brought unwanted attention to our House.”   
He shrugged off her apology “You may call me Lucius. Bellatrix can be rather trying at times.” His glance moved sideways settling on Severus who stood quietly by Antares side, Severus copied Antares' head movement showing his deference to the older boy, he wasn't entirely sure how he should address the prefect so said nothing.   
Antares smiled “This is Severus Snape, son of Eileen Prince” Lucius acknowledged Severus' manners with a curt nod, "I'm pleased to meet you, Severus, stick with Miss Black, the other first-year boys seem to not know which end of a fork to use, let alone any basic forms of etiquette." And just like that Severus had been accepted by the young Lord Malfoy, it was far more than he had hoped for on his first day, this was his first step towards the greatness he desired. 

Sirius watched as Lucius Malfoy greeted his sister, the feast had finished and they had been dismissed without him having the chance to talk to her, to explain or apologise and reassure her (Or himself) that they were still twins and would still be close even if their houses divided them. His fists clenched as she dipped her head, acknowledging that Malfoy was above her in stature, he hated watching her have to defer to anyone.

Remus followed his gaze, "She'll be fine, did you see her take on Bellatrix? I heard the older years talking about her, apparently, she really is psychotic."   
Sirius nodded in agreement not wanting to correct the other boy, he wasn't worried that she wouldn't be able to look after herself, he had once seen his small 8-year-old sister propel one of their tutors out of the house by turning his tailcoat into something which resembled an octopus, the arms, lapels, and tails came to life wrapping themselves around his throat and waist, trying to strangle him. All the man had done was arrogantly suggested that perhaps Antares should be practicing her needlework instead of speaking up, during lesson time. Anyone that threatened her would pay dearly, he knew that. What really worried him was that his choice of house would hurt her, that she would feel betrayed when it came down to it, he had chosen his own freedom over her.   
"See her bowing to Lucius Bloody Malfoy? That's my fault." When Remus looked confused he explained. "You've heard of the Sacred Twenty-Eight?" Remus nodded, "Ok well, The Malfoys and The Blacks are both members. The Blacks are higher in social status due to our family's age and wealth. My father is head of the Black family and I am his oldest son, Lucius is the oldest son of the Malfoy family patriarch. As neither of us are heads of our respective families but are the successors we are equal in rank. Antares, being female cannot inherit the title, although we all know she'd make a much better Lord Black than I ever will. Anyway, If I had been at the introduction Antares would have been seen as my consort and on the same social footing as me, as it is, she has very little social position of her own other than being part of the House of Black." He looked at the incredulous look on Remus' face and barked out a bitter laugh. "Yeah I know it's pretty fucked up. Although if I do ever become Lord Black, I'll outrank old Luci." The two boys laughed as they jogged to catch up with the rest of their house.

All that Sirius had to content himself with that night was the glance and small smile that had been bestowed upon him before Antares passed through the great hall doors in a wave of silver and green trimmed robes. 

The Gryffindors were led upwards, they climbed several flights of stairs, the prefect leading them toward Gryffindor tower pointed upwards at dozens of other flights stretched skywards, he explained that flights further up in the castle often swung around changing their destination without notice. It reminded Sirius of a big wizarding department store in Paris their mother had dragged them around. He and Reggie hated shopping so they sat in the large food hall eating ice cream and watching the moving staircases in fascination and amusement when some perfectly manicured ice queen lost her cool when the staircase she was climbing to the home furnishing department changed its mind and instead took her to the menswear department.   
He was a little surprised at the gasps of awe from the other students, even James seemed impressed, sometimes he forgot how 'privileged' his family was. The walk to their common room took a lot longer than had been anticipated, they had to stop several times as children from non-magical families stood fascinated at the moving portraits as they played out their scenes, then there were the ghosts, they floated down taking a good look at the new inhabitants of the Gryffindor tower.   
Sir Nicholas De Mimsy Porpington "Nearly Headless Nick" introduced himself importantly, apologising for his lateness and that he had fully intended in coming to introduce himself at the feast, but the latest committee meeting of the headless hunt had overrun and he had once again been deprived the pleasure of riding among their ranks. 

Someone asked why he had been rejected and how could he be nearly headless, his demonstration of the poor job the axeman had done led to a small blond first year having hysterics. The chaos was complete when Peeves, attracted by all the noise swept down upon the "Ickle firsties" cackling and shouting showering them with stink bombs, they ended up having to seek shelter in a disused classroom and wait until Sir Nick had brought both the Bloody Baron and Professor McGonagall to deal with the issue. 

The Bloody Baron, although the Slytherin ghost took a dim view of this sort of behaviour and without a word chased protesting Peeves away from the first years who were being cleansed by Professor McGonagall and the two seventh year prefects. Therefore it was nearly curfew by the time they reached the portrait of the Grey Lady who guarded the entrance to their common room, they were given the password with a strict warning to remember it and not write it down anywhere. 

They were whisked through the common rooms, only managing a glimpse of the comfortable worn brown leather sofas and crimson banners which adorned the walls and left in the hands of their prefects who  
showed them their dormitories. 

Sirius was delighted to find he was bunking with Remus, James, and Peter, the other boys' dorm housed Frank Longbottom, Robert Zabini, Barton Rimington-Bryce, and Kestrel Brown.

There were ten girls, split into two dorms, the boys hadn't had time to learn much about them beyond a few names, it had taken them too long to get to the Gryffindor Tower and it was already slightly past curfew.

Sirius looked around the cosy room, he liked the contrast to his own bedroom, the walls were rough grey stone, a couple of tapestries hung from them, they showed Godric Gryffindor wielding his sword fighting a manticore, in another, he was surrounded by a dark cloud, his wand was raised above his head emitting a beam of light.   
The beds were all oak four posters, the hangings weren't the bright crimson of the banners which seemed to adorn every corridor, but a rich burgundy velvet that would shut out every shred of light from the two large mullioned windows. The dark wood floor was strewn with shaggy rugs and at the end of each bed stood their trunks. 

Sirius had withdrawn his trunk from his pocket as soon as they had entered and true to his mother's words one of the Hogwarts elves was immediately by his side resizing and unpacking it with a mere click of its fingers. Sirius toyed with the idea of sending a letter to his parents and Reggie telling them he had been sorted into Gryffindor, however, decided against it, there would be enough of an uproar without him seeming to rub it in. 

The four boys had been determined to stay awake to sneak out and explore their house a little more thoroughly once the prefects had made their final check, however as soon as they lay down in their beds they were asleep, the long journey and excitement of their first feast at Hogwarts had exhausted them. 

Antares did not have the luxury of deciding not to write to their parents, the news of the sorting would have been a subject in every purebloods letter home and Walburga at least would take an extremely dim view of receiving the news second hand. Not that the news would be greeted with anything less than disgust.   
Their walk to the dungeons had been a lot less exciting than that of the Gryffindors, none of the students showed their amazement at the magical surroundings of Hogwarts, doing so would definitely have drawn questions about their heritage that nobody in Slytherin wanted to bring up. The Bloody Baron had been introduced to them during the feast and was off patrolling the rest of the castle, seemingly he was the only one that could control Peeves.

They had a little time to look around the common room before Professor Slughorn appeared to briefly and personally welcome them all to his house.   
Severus stood with Antares as she stared at the glistening water of the Black Lake, he wanted to ask how it was glistening when it was pitch black outside the castle, he knew the answer would be it was magic, but wanted to know everything, what spell was used, how was the glass reinforced? What lived in the lake, because apart from fish all he'd seen were indistinguishable dark shadows? 

Lucius had the job of assigning the new Slytherin Boys to their dorms, there were twelve of them, apparently a very good year for Slytherin. Severus was sharing with Evan Rosier, Valdez Shafiq, Hector Brown, Thadius Nott, and Libea Constanza, he recognised almost all of the names and realised Lucius had placed him among the heavyweights of the wizarding worlds Sacred Twenty Eight, he felt less inadequate than he would have knowing that the purebloods would have noticed that he had been accepted and endorsed by both Antares Black and Lucius Malfoy. 

The intake of girls was slightly less than that of the boys, the fact irritated Antares as she knew that it was partially because some of the less wealthy pureblood families decided it was a waste of money to send their daughters to Hogwarts, they would be taught to grow up and stay at home, marry, have babies and attend society gatherings.

Her two roommates, Belvina Burke and Rose Parkinson had gone straight to bed, however, she had an urgent letter to write, she had shyly asked Lucius if he had an owl she would be able to use as her mother and father would certainly expect a letter from her post-haste and in this case waiting until morning wasn't really an option. 

He nodded, completely understanding her situation, he too was beholden unto the proprieties of his position. She wrote quickly informing her parents of the facts without any flowery embellishments, her letter to Regulus was a lot warmer, she asked him how he was, admitted that she felt a little lost having been split up from Sirius and had also snuck a couple of fruit tarts from the feast into a paper package for him. 

Lucius was still sat in the common room with a few other fifth-year boys who hung on his every word when she had finished writing her letter. It leant weight to her status in Slytherin that he postponed his discussion to focus his attention wholly upon her, “Miss Black, please meet some of our other housemates.” He indicated the boys sat with him “This is Barty Crouch, Matthew Belby, Rabastan LeStrange, and Medici Zabini” 

She inclined her head politely in greeting, two of them were members of Sacred twenty-eight families, one was the younger son and one from a family who had fallen from wealth some generations ago, despite having married into the Blacks at one point.   
Medici rose to his feet presenting her with a courteous bow before bending over her hand. 

Lucius seemed amused that only Medici seemed aware of how to greet a young woman of rank, but ignored them as he handed Antares a dark feathered owl, “this is Nova, he’ll deliver your letter.” Thanking him she attached the letter to the owl's leg, she absentmindedly stroked his breast feathers as she carried him to the owl window, it was an ingenious piece of charm work, they were indeed in the dungeons, but this window seemed to open out over the dark grounds, the little own preened and hooted softly appreciating the attention. 

She was unaware of the attention which was focused upon her, Lucius sighed softly, she was already pretty, in a few years she’d be beautiful and as a daughter of the patriarchal line an incredible catch for someone, he was brought out of his thoughts at the sound of her laugh, his owl was headbutting her and nibbling at her ear, she passed him an owl treat “Ok off with you Nova, Good Boy.”

Medici leant over speaking quietly "she will be beautiful will she not? Are you planning on offering for her?" Lucius shrugged elegantly but he was sure that his father would require him to marry before the object of their attention was of age.

Opening the window she let the dark owl fly off into the darkness, she stood for a while imagining his strong wing-beats cutting through the cold air and she wondered how bad the reactions of their family would be.   
Turning away from the window she sent a genuine smile towards Lucius “Thank you, Lucius, I appreciate your help.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning! This chapter includes memories of child abuse.

Breakfast in the Black household was always a rather sedate affair, but the morning that dawned over Grimmauld Place after Antares and Sirius departure, was particularly sombre. Antares letters had arrived, just as Walburga and Orion had settled for the evening and Regulus was getting ready for bed. 

Regulus had been sat on his bed when a knocking on his bedroom window made him look up, he didn't recognise the handsome owl but had immediately realised the letters it held must be from Antares, he took the letters and offered the owl water, treats and a place to roost.   
He left the tartlets she had sent him in his room, sure his mother wouldn't approve of him snacking at this time of night, he was tempted to read his letter before taking the other to his parents, in hindsight he wished he had instead he faithfully delivered the missive into his mother's hands before scuttling off to enjoy his petit cadeau and read the letter from his sister. 

He was partway back up the stairs before a screech from his mother rang out, loud and angry, he cringed and took two steps at a time the rest of the way before locking himself into the relative safety of his bedroom. Walburga's temper was legendary and in more recent years the family madness when she lost her temper had surfaced more often, therefore it was best to scatter and hide. 

He sighed as he remembered when they had been little hiding all three of them hiding in the big wardrobe in Antares room behind her dresses, Copper brought them snacks and soothed them gently, until their father came to find the.

He was alone now without his older siblings to reassure him, sitting back down on his bed he opened the letter Antares had sent him, needing to know what it was that had sent his mother into such a fury, his sisters' warmth and concern for him came through in her letter, and she ordered him to keep his head down in the aftermath of their mothers' predictable rage at Sirius. 

Reggie's heart dropped, he didn't want to read anymore, the big brother he had looked up to for years had done it again, had caused him to have to hide from his mother's wrath. He forced himself to continue to read. She had been sorted into Slytherin, he smiled at her complaint that even the sorting hat referred to her as one of the dark twins, he could see her in her most elegant robes stamping her foot in frustration as another of their parents' friends patted her on the head and referred to her as 'one of the dark twins.'

Sirius came next, the hat had taken longer with him, but ultimately he had been sorted into Gryffindor. Regulus sat for a few minutes thinking, was he surprised that Sirius had gone against all expectation? Was he surprised that Sirius had once again flouted his responsibilities?  
He finished reading the letter, he noticed it was longer than the letter to their parents and appreciated that she'd taken the time to reassure him that everything was fine, she had already made friends and the young Lord Malfoy had given her leave to call him Lucius, thereby lending her his patronage. 

Copper had brought his little master Reggie a cup of cocoa, informing him that Mistress was still beside herself with rage and Master was trying, unsuccessfully to calm her down. Regulus went to bed wondering what the coming days would bring for the Black Family.

Walburga was still in a rage the next morning, Orion and Regulus sat eating their breakfast quietly, while Walburga ranted. She had spent the last 20 minutes listing their eldest son’s shortcomings before dictating a fuming howler which was sent posthaste to Hogwarts. A howler which made Regulus wince, however peeved he had been at Sirius, neither of his siblings deserved the humiliation which was swiftly winging its way to them. 

There was no doubt that Orion was head of the household, though he rarely wasted energy quelling his wife’s ranting, she would wear herself out, spend the rest of the day in her room with a headache before her perfect mask slid back into place and once more became the ice queen pureblood. He would then mend the bridges she had burnt while in a towering rage.

Regulus escaped the dining table as quickly as he could politely do so, he didn’t want to draw the wrath of his mother, he had been up early and had penned a quick note to his sister warning her that their mother was decidedly unhappy with the situation and to expect some kind of swift retribution. 

Antares woke early, the curtains around her dorm mates beds were still closed so she had the chance to enjoy a peaceful shower in the adjoining bathroom, there were three shower stalls and three sinks against one wall above the sinks hung three identical antique gold framed mirrors which were magical, enchanted to give hair and makeup advice in a well-bred, nasal tone that reminded her of one of her maiden aunts. Antares had muted hers the night before having grown fed up of its insistence that what she needed was a good haircut. 

She dressed quickly making sure she looked fully presentable, it would not do to show any flaws this early on., She finished fastening her tie favouring a real one over the clip-on versions she knew the other girls used before wandering down into the common room. She was glad she’d gotten up early when she saw Lucius’ owl perched on a small brass perch situated close enough fire to help ward off the chill of the September evenings. It hooted in greeting and held it's leg out for her allowing her to detach the small note addressed in Reggie's handwriting, she fed him a few owl treats and refilled his water bowl before opening the note.   
Nervously she started to read Regulus’ large cursive script, she was grateful that he had written to her but she wasn’t sure she wanted to know exactly how displeased Walburga was with Sirius, he was fairly safe while he was at Hogwarts their mother couldn't do much to punish him, he was still the successor to the title of Lord Black and their father was much too level headed and intelligent to disinherit his son, it would be an act which would shake the foundations of the Black family and with Cygnus already straining at the leash to take over, such a move would be disastrous. 

Walburga, on the other hand, could and would voice her distaste, their mother had always been particularly fond of howlers, she wondered if this had been taken into account by Sirius, although knowing him as well as she did she very much doubted it. 

Making sure she had everything she would need for the day she left the common room quickly, her bag slung over her shoulder she had cast a discreet feather-light charm on it before leaving, making sure there was nobody around to witness in case she messed it up, she had no desire to draw further attention to herself. 

She climbed several flights of stairs until she reached the entrance to the Great Hall, all she knew about Gryffindor territory was that the common room was in one of the tallest towers at the east 00side of the castle and that information had been gleaned from its’ description in Hogwarts a History, although, how accurate that was remained to be seen as the description of the Slytherin Common Room was far from accurate. 

From the Entrance hall, she started to climb the main staircase having seen a couple of groups of Gryffindors heading that way when they had exited the grand hall the night before. When she reached the top of the stairs she headed off eastwards, it just so happened that she was going in the wrong direction, however by chance she ran across Remus who was also out and about early exploring the corridors. He greeted her with a smile “Hi there, are you exploring as well?” she smiled in return, “Actually I'm looking for the Gryffindor Commons I really need to speak to Sirius, we didn’t get a chance to discuss yesterday's happenings, and our mother is not exactly thrilled with the news that Sirius has become one of Gryffindors newest recruits.” 

Remus nodded, his senses were a little bit confused, his human senses heard and saw a confident young woman, but his more animalistic senses told him a different story. 

“Come on, I'll get him to come out here.” He looked uncomfortable before adding “Slytherins aren’t universally beloved by the Gryffindors, or so it seems” Antares nodded “Don't worry I’ll wait at the end of the corridor, there’s a little window seat, I don’t want you getting into trouble for associating with a snake. Sirius, however, will just have to get over the fact that he has no choice but to be seen with me.” 

She didn’t have to wait long, Sirius appeared at the portrait hole and headed down the corridor towards her, he had been dressed for some time sitting in the common room talking to James about all the adventures they were going to have now they were at Hogwarts.   
Remus disturbed their discussion informing Sirius that his sister was waiting just down the corridor to talk to him, he had had to argue with James to make him stay behind. But he really needed time alone with his twin, a smile spread across his face as he saw her, she was perched on a window seat her forehead pressed against the glass, she was watching a few of the older students who were out flying early. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her dropping a kiss on her forehead, she sighed softly her shoulders which had been held in her usual formal pose relaxed “Oh Sirius”, the emotions in her words almost broke his heart and for once he was her support as she turned in his arms resting her head against his chest, he belatedly realised she was crying, soft snuffles came from her. Even in his surprise, he had enough about him to tug her down the corridor with him until they came to an empty classroom, she couldn’t be seen to be weak, especially since she had been sorted in Slytherin.   
He found he didn’t really know what to say to pacify her, it was very rare that his sister cried, if someone wronged her, her eyes narrowed and she seemed to be thinking deeply, cataloguing the offence, making mental notes for later retribution, she didn’t cry. 

It took her a few moments, but she got control of herself taking a few deep breaths before looking up into his eyes, he opened his mouth to apologise, to explain, but the words wouldn’t come, she shook her head. “I’m fine Siri, I’m fine, I just needed to relieve a little bit of the pressure. I missed you last night, it felt like you were an entire world away, my magic kept reaching out to find you, but you weren’t there." He nodded, his magic had felt like it was searching for her to alleviate the ache in his heart from being apart from her.   
"Also, I’m sure that you realise how predictably annoyed mother is, Reggie sent me a note this morning warning me. You know I had to tell her before some sad little pureblood eager to curry favour with our family told her?.”   
He nodded dumbly, she was of course right, the number of purebloods who would have scrambling to send an owl home with the news of his surprise sorting would be huge.   
“Sis, I didn’t plan it, I swear.” He didn’t want to tell her that the hats taunts had been the final straw. “I looked across at the Slytherin table and Bellatrix was there and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t spend the next year or so in the same house as her. She wants me as a husband Tara.”   
He paused thinking back at his sisters' actions the evening previously “What the hell were you thinking getting into it with her, she’s a seventh year and she’s fucking insane.”   
Antares glared at him “watch your mouth Siri, just because you’ve been sorted into the house of the brash and brassy, there’s no need to inherit their bad habits. I know you didn't plan your sorting, but surely you realise that as your I knew how miserable you were at the prospect of being sorted into Slytherin? As for Bella you know I couldn’t just let her get away with pushing me around, so I took action, she was hardly going to AK me in the Great Hall in front of several hundred witnesses including Albus Dumbledore.”   
Taking his arm she tugged him gently towards the door, feeling better now the air was clearer between them, “Will you be seen with a snake? I think it is fairly safe to say that mother will have sent a howler, so we might as well face it together.” He smiled, she was right as usual Walburga would send a howler, her well-spoken accent would vanish into the harpy like screech it always did when he pushed his luck too far. The vitriol that spilt from her lips would depend on the situation, but she always had choice words with which to anoint her children, words he was not keen to let his new friends hear, he was aware that that was a futile hope, but at least his sister would have his back  
"I'm sure I can make an exception for you sister snake. Are they at least treating you well?" She nodded not expanding upon house politics. 

As they walked they spoke quietly unaware or uncaring that stares followed them. Antares further addressed her brother's previous question quietly, she knew he’d understand, he was aware of the political situation within the Black family, however much he tried to distance himself from it.   
"Bella was besmirching the Black name. You know what is required of us, of me. I'm not naive enough to think that news of that little altercation won't reach home, but at least to all outer appearances she attacked me."   
He answered her "Be careful sis, I'm worried about you in that house, I know it's my fault that you're there alone and that you can navigate the social intricacies and play the games of Slytherin with your eyes closed, but they're dangerous."   
His voice got even quieter and to the outside observer more cryptic "We are the twins Antares, darkness, madness, prophecies, it's all been spoken about and we've been here less than 24 hours" 

She had no chance to answer as they had arrived at the entrance to the Great Hall, she reached down and gave his hand a squeeze, the staff were all seated at the head table, James, Remus and Peter were sat at the Gryffindor table talking excitedly with Frank and several other boys. 

Severus was sat with Medici, Lucius and Thadius Nott, he saw Antares enter with Sirius, he had been mad when he realised that she had left the common room to traipse around the school without him but his annoyance evaporated when he saw her with Sirius, he should have realised she would want to talk to her brother. He didn’t have any siblings, but he understood that twins were closer than normal siblings. 

The post owls were perched in the rafters above the entrance, their deliveries ready to be dropped in the lap of their recipients, as soon as the twins entered a large long-eared owl swept down, he was well versed in delivering howlers, Walburga was legendary for sending them. It dropped the red envelope at their feet, not waiting to be fussed over or fed, it didn’t want to be in the vicinity if it’s delivery exploded, the chatter in the Great Hall ceased, students who had been raised in the muggle world looked to their contemporaries for an explanation. 

Severus noticed that Lucius was one of the very few students not staring at the twins and he soon realised why he had been raised in a similar way and wasn’t keen to relive or revel in the kind of ritual humiliation which came with the territory. Medici also seemed to be trying his best to keep his face blank as he looked down at his book, but his pale knuckles betrayed the increased grip. 

Sirius glanced at his sister, her back was straight, her shoulders back and her chin tilted up slightly, she hadn’t moved from his side, although she knew what was coming she merely squeezed his hand tighter. Peter and James were trying to hold in their laughter at the prospect of Sirius' already having received a howler from home.  
Remus was not laughing, he wasn’t stupid and he could see how stiff his new friends were holding themselves, he gave James and Peter a disapproving look.   
Sirius too had noticed the amusement on his friend's faces but knew the moment he opened the envelope the smirks would be wiped from their faces, he hoped that whatever his mother had to say wouldn’t irrevocably ruin their friendship. Stooping he picked the envelope up, hissing in pain as it scorched his fingers, it was a sure sign their mother was in a fury surpassed by no other. 

He felt his sister shift closer pressing her shoulder against his arm, he was grateful for her presence as his nail worked its way under the flap, there was no point in delaying the inevitable if left unopened, the howler would just explode in his face and he’d end up burnt and humiliated instead of just humiliated, it leapt out of his grasp the moment the seal was broken forming grotesque red angular lips. 

Walburga Black voice sounded throughout the hall, everyone except the two people her words were directed at winced, they had been subjected to far worse than her disembodied voice, although never in front of such a large crowd of judgemental faces. 

“Sirius Orion Black, never in my life have I ever been so ashamed and disappointed by a member of our Most Ancient and Noble House as I am with you. You are a disgrace to our name, an affront, an abomination to our family magic. I would have held my head higher and more proudly had you been born a squib, you do not deserve the blessing of magic which has been bestowed upon you by your father and myself. You are a filthy blood traitor. ”

Horror was starting to dawn on the faces of the assembled students, students who thought they would have a good laugh at a student receiving a howler, James’ face turned ashen, even at his most obnoxious and disruptive his parents had never spoken to him as harshly as this. 

In the background, the voice continued to screech,   
“You are not welcome back in this house, not one Black has been sorted into any house but the home of the most powerful and brilliant Salazar Slytherin, even that wayward girl of Cygnus’ knew enough of duty and obligation to the family that raised her.” 

Andromeda, who sat near the other end of the table muttered something rude “I am not entirely happy that Aunt Walburga chooses this particular time to remember that I exist.” 

“As for you Antares Hesper Black, how dare you allow your brother to do exactly as he likes, you were sent to Hogwarts to make sure that he lived up to his responsibilities in this family, you ignorant stupid girl, you forget your place, making excuses for your pathetic excuse of a brother."

Severus' eyes widened and he glanced at Lucius who still stared resolutely at the bowl of porridge and book in front of him, he had been jealous of the high upbringing of the Malfoys and the Blacks, but now he wasn’t so sure, his father was an abusive drunk, but he spent most of his time out of the house at the pub or at his dead-end job. His eyes slid across to Medici who looked like he was about to incinerate the book he was pretending to read. 

"You are dispensable and you will not forget your place again. You benefit this family merely by making a marriage which will be to our advantage and producing heirs for your husband. For that you do not need an education, if it was entirely up to me you would be back in this house by now. You will be coming home at half term as you have obviously not yet learnt your place, it has yet to be seen if I will allow you to return to that school, lest you become even more rebellious.” 

A clatter brought Severus' attention back to the table, Medici had slammed his coffee cup down on the table not even concealing the anger on his face. Severus thought this was very interesting, he didn't think Antares and Medici were friends.

The howler burst into bright white flames its ashes floated down speckling Antares pristine robes, the hall was now silent, it seemed that even the staff were in shock. Antares turned to Sirius she gave him a small smile and a nod which he returned and the two of them parted, he moved to the Gryffindor table and dropped down onto the bench next to Remus trying not to meet the gaze of any curious bystanders, while she walked calmly to the Slytherin table brushing the stray ash from her robes.   
She sat next to Severus across the table from Lucius, her head still held proudly, the rest of the hall, perhaps a little disappointed that there were no hysterics or other drama to follow started to talk once again, of course, the main topic of conversation was the twins and the madness which still obviously consumed the Black family. 

Although outwardly calm both twins were thinking furiously, where would Sirius go during the holidays? How was Regulus and how would he cope? If Antares followed instructions and returned home would she come back to school? What would happen to her? Was their mother even more unbalanced in her rage than she had been before? 

Remus pushed a glass of pumpkin juice towards Sirius, James, still in shock, but aware enough that his friend may not want to discuss what had just happened and if he did, he would bring the topic up himself said nothing, but passed the plate of sausages to him. Peter, who either had no such awareness or cared little about the insensitive nature of his comments, “Wow mate I knew the Blacks were unstable, but your mother sounds like she’s completely insane, do you think your sister is gonna turn out like that? She’s pretty enough, but if she’s gonna go mad........” 

Sirius had enough, he practically threw his goblet down before striding out of the great hall, Peter looked after him quailing under the glares of James and Remus “What?” shaking their heads they rose going in the direction Sirius had taken. Shrugging his shoulders Peter turned his concentration back to his breakfast. 

Antares watched as two of her brothers' friends his friends passed him breakfast, she was about to start eating her own breakfast when she saw him slam down his goblet before quickly leaving the great hall. She clenched her fists, her manicured nails dug into the palm of her hand, she knew she couldn’t rush after him and show everyone that his pain was her weakness. 

Severus and Lucius had both been observing her quietly, Severus wasn’t sure what to say to her, he had never been subjected to that level of public humiliation and wanted to ground to open up and swallow him in sympathy.  
Lucius seemed to be debating whether to speak to her or not.   
But it was Medici who spoke up, his voice was so low when he spoke that Severus, sat next to Antares had to strain to hear, “You know you can’t follow him Antares, he has his friends and at least two of them seem to care. Everything you do is being observed and reported back to pureblood patriarchies, eager to curry favour with either Cygnus or your parents.” 

Lucius nodded "he's right Antares, even now people are waiting to see if you rush after him."

She lifted her head looking him straight in the eye “Yes, thank you, Lucius, I'm well aware of that fact. Are you reporting my behaviour to Abraxus?”   
He considered his answer carefully, before speaking, “I would be a fool not to, you are the only daughter of the most powerful member of the sacred twenty-eight, if you don’t enrage your mother anymore you will become a well-educated witch and a boon to any sensible wizarding family.” 

Antares didn't seem offended or uncomfortable at the candid way Lucius spoke about her eventual marriage. “Out of interest, who is your fathers current choice for you? I know the Malfoy family is traditional in that respect, whereas our father is relatively content to let Sirius make a match himself, providing of course that it is a suitable one. Our mother, as you heard is quite keen to auction me off to the highest bidder, she cares only about dowry and familial advantage.” 

Lucius answered easily, “Father isn’t too keen on any potential grandchildren inheriting the Black madness, so although the eldest Black girl would have been the most obvious choice, her repeated displays of insanity have whittled my options down to Andromeda, Narcissa or yourself. Andromeda, as your mother stated, is well known to be a little wayward, and I doubt she would be receptive to accepting my suit. As acceptable as you would be, he is looking at me to marry soon after graduation and you would not yet be of age. Therefore Narcissa is top of his list."

It had taken a few moments for Severus to catch up with what they were talking about, Lucius Malfoy had admitted that he had put forward Antares as a possible match for him, a possible wife. He was interested in how things were handled in the wizarding world if he wanted to fit in he needed to understand the intricacies of everyday life, excelling merely in the academic would only get him so far. 

It had taken a few moments for Severus to catch up with what they were talking about, Lucius Malfoy had admitted that he had put forward Antares as a possible match for him, a possible wife. He was interested in how things were handled in the wizarding world and if he wanted to fit in he knew he needed to understand the intricacies of everyday life, excelling merely in the academic would only get him so far. 

Antares spoke quietly to him, "The problem that the pureblood families currently have is that in accordance with pureblood law and custom only male children can inherit estates and titles. Therefore the aim of pureblood unions is the production of a male heir, families perform rituals, charms and spells to maximise their chances. You see fertility rates in the ancient families aren't that good, most of the purebloods here are only children. My fathers standing in pureblood society has been boosted further by the fact that he produced both an heir and a spare. Cygnus is seen as somewhat as a failure having produced only girls. For some reason, we don't seem to see logic, if we insist on only marrying other purebloods there need to be more pureblood female children born." 

Lucius and Medici had been listening and they agreed.

Antares was glad of the conversation, it had taken her mind off of the howler and her brothers' distress. she knew him well enough to know that he was angry and would be looking for somewhere out of the way where he could blast away the anger he was feeling, she wondered if either of the boys that had followed him knew a shielding spell, she hoped so for their own sakes.

A discussion was taking place at the head table, Professor McGonagall was hissing furiously at the headmaster, “It is disgusting Albus, we screen the post for any dangerous items, yet howlers are allowed through, those poor children."   
She happened to have been looking up at the doors when the children entered the hall, she saw the girl squeeze her brother's hand and the tender look which they exchanged before they stood shoulder to shoulder obviously expecting the howler which was dropped at their feet. 

There had always been rivalry at Hogwarts between the houses, most noticeably between her own house of Gryffindor and that of Slytherin, it felt strange to feel such a surge sympathy for one of Horace's charges. Horace was speaking to her patronisingly and she felt the urge to turn into the animagus form and run her claws across his pompous face. "Indeed Minerva, of course, the children have only been here for a very short amount of time and we do not know what their mother has to endure from them at home. As we have learnt over the last few years twins can be a hand-full, perhaps them being split up is for the best?" 

She glared at the fat, gaudily dressed man it staggered her that he had been a teacher for the number of years he had been and still be so wilfully ignorant when it came to the various plights of the witches and wizards he was supposed to care for.   
She saw everything from her seat to the headmasters right, she had seen Antares and Sirius shift into formal, stiff poses, their heads held high, she saw the slight shift in posture as the howler ripped into Sirius, his sister had pressed into his arm lending support. 

She had noted the dark fury in his face as their mother had reduced Antares to nothing more than a broodmare, they would sell when convenient and most profitable. She shook her head, Sirius had strode out of the hall a few minutes later while Antares sat quietly with another first year, and to her surprise Lucius Malfoy. 

Albus, witnessing her distress patted her arm in a conciliatory gesture, "Minerva we will keep an eye on them. Nothing will harm them while they’re at Hogwarts” 

Sirius had stood only half-listening to his mother's howler spewing its poison, he was ok with not going home for the holiday, he felt bad for Reggie having to be alone with their parents but he always had been her favourite and he was always eager to please, he'd be fine. Antares and he could stay at school, he knew that other students did and from the brief conversation he had had with Remus, he knew that both him & Severus would also spend the holidays within the confines of Hogwarts. 

His mother's screeching had subsided somewhat and he felt himself relax, expecting the envelope burst into flames, he tensed again as her voice rose again, it was with surprise that he heard his sister's name. With every word their bitch of a mother uttered against his twin he felt his control slip, she announced to the entire school that his sister was nothing more than a warm body for the highest pureblood bidder to fuck and breed.

Antares he noticed didn't flinch or move a muscle, she just stood listening, unsurprised by the words their mother had for her and Sirius wondered just how much of this Antares had had to listen to in her life. She had always had lessons apart from the boys, sometimes in her mother's sitting room, sometimes out of the home but she always came home from these sessions looking tired and stressed, but they had put that down to having had to spend so long in Walburgas company, now he wondered. 

The command that she return home made his blood boil, this was his fault, how could he have been so stupid to have thought his actions wouldn't affect his twin now they were at Hogwarts. 

The blinding flash of the envelope destroying itself didn't quell his growing rage, neither did her small smile and nod of acknowledgement before she turned and walked towards the Slytherin table. He quickly moved to sit next to Remus who offered him a lopsided grin and poured him a goblet of pumpkin juice, he thought James would ask questions and discuss what had just happened, but he turned out to be much more intuitive than expected, he had noticed Sirius appreciated the silent support of Remus so instead of talking pushed a plate of sausages towards him and set about making himself a bacon roll. 

Peter, was however not going to let the subject rest, Sirius could forgive his words about Walburga, she was insane but when the small chubby boy turned to the subject of his sister he had to restrain himself from striking out, his eyes darkened and he had to remind himself to breathe, he slammed his goblet down on the table and left the hall. He desperately needed somewhere to go and calm down before the Black temper made him do something he’d regret. 

Heading towards the front doors, he noticed that most students were now heading into the Great Hall for breakfast and he’d be mostly alone out on the grounds, he heard footsteps behind him, he whirled around his wand in his hand jammed under the chin against the throat of James whose eyes widened in shock. He slowly withdrew his wand "Sorry mate, would be just like the family to send Bella to speak to me and if it was Antares following me she'd have had me on my arse before I had time to threaten her." 

He had continued walking towards the Lake as he spoke. Remus, who had quickly scooped up their timetables on the way out of the hall followed, glad that it was a Sunday and that lessons didn't start until the following day. He could feel the rage pouring off of Sirius and for the first time he felt a little bit grateful for his affliction, he couldn't read the twins, their facial expressions and body language closed them off. 

To the outside world Antares looked indifferent, cool and calm but this morning she had been anxious. Sirius should feel hurt or upset at the things his mother had said, instead he was furious, however well he pulled off the outward look of uncaring detachment. 

Remus wondered how or why the two Blacks disguised their feelings so well when he heard James gasp. Sirius had pulled out his wand and thrown up some kind of invisible barrier between them, he was now throwing spells with ferocious vigour made all the more frightening because they hadn't yet learnt any magic. His own shock must have shown, James muttered to him "He's a Black and although I don't think that's something we should currently remind him of we should probably remember they're practically born with a wand in their hand. I'll guarantee that both Antares and he know every spell and charm we're set to learn for at least our first couple of years here." 

Profanities fell from Sirius' lips as easily as the spells had from his wand as he sunk down on a rock, he had cancelled the shield, which had luckily for them drowned out the sound of smashing and crashing, a fact they only realised when they heard him swearing. They sat down on the grass, making sure to maintain their distance. The September sun was still warm enough so they didn't need cloaks and for a while they sat still, only the gentle sloshing of the Lake lapping against the pebbled shore and the sound of Sirius ragged breathing disturbed the silence. 

Suddenly he spoke, his smooth, sophisticated voice was rough "She's evil, people think she's just inherited the madness, but there's more behind it." James glanced at Remus, so far he'd followed his lead but Remus seemed a little at a loss for words so he spoke instead, "I kind of thought you were going to be upset and I definitely thought Antares would be, but she just went and started her breakfast as if nothing had happened." 

Sirius' answer was quick " I'm not upset, we grew up with Walburga, Cygnus, Pollux and Druella, the evil has always been there, they're always ready to rip into the children. Take our cousins, Bellatrix has just grown up unbalanced, Andromeda rebels as far as she dares and Narcissa tries to be as invisible as possible by playing along, she's a lot like our younger brother Regulus in that respect." 

He paused for a few moments, he seemed to be struggling to put into words how he was feeling and thinking. James, who had been following Remus' cues, the sandy haired wizard seemed quieter and more sensitive than either Peter or himself, decided he should speak.   
"Mate, if she's always like that, why do you care? We don't care your mother is insane, to be fair I keep an eye on my mother, wondering if one day she'll crack." Sirius let out a bark of laughter and grinned at James, "Hey, that's right you're part Black as well, we're actually related."

He fell serious as he answered James' question, "Being a twin is the best, most magical thing ever, but when you're a Black and your twin is a girl it can be hell. I don't conform to my family's expectations, I never have and mother has never appreciated my rebellion. When we got to 4 or 5 she found a way to make me into the perfect young Lord Black she used my sister. She hosted a tea party with Druella, Apollina Malfoy, Beatrice Lestrange, a couple of the Greengrass sisters and the Delacour's.   
Antares was expected to join them, our mother takes etiquette seriously and we are expected to do the same, It was a gathering of women so I didn't have to attend, I went to play instead, I accidentally broke one of Great-Aunt Cassiopeia's best china teacups, but was too scared to admit it so I snuck away. Mother blamed Antares, who knew it was me. She didn't say anything as mother screamed at her and as soon as the guests had left took the belt and whipped Tara, she made me watch. I couldn't and begged her to stop, I told her it was me, I broke the cup. But she kept going, Tara refused to cry but I did, I cried. Walburga knelt before me, looked me straight in the eyes and told me that Antares would be punished for every mistake I made until I learned to grow up. She had known it was me all along. I was stupid to think that the rules wouldn't apply now. I'm forbidden from going home and Antares is ordered home, we both know why and still she doesn't hate or blame me. I am fucking terrified of what our mother has graduated to." 

James’s mouth had fallen open as he listened, his mother had spoken to him after the incident at Diagon Alley, she had warned him that however things appeared in the Black family, to be careful because there was true darkness there. He hadn’t taken her completely seriously though, he knew she was estranged from a good portion of the family, he thought it was merely because she didn’t approve of the prejudices they held, now he wasn’t so sure, had his mother been a victim of the Black way of raising children as well?


	7. Chapter 7

The first-year students were glad that they had arrived on a Saturday as it meant they could spend Sunday exploring the castle and meeting its many inhabitants. 

For the Black Twins, it gave them a chance to try and forget the howler they had received and it's lingering threat. Sirius and his friends tore around the Castle introducing themselves to the portraits and ghosts, they purposefully sought out Peeves, enlisting his help to prank their year mates, he was flattered that they wanted to meet him and he listened with growing excitement at the ideas they had.

While dashing around the grounds they met Hagrid who told them the trick to making friends with the giant squid and accidentally revealed the location of the secret entrance to the kitchens. The boys careered off across the green grass of the Hogwarts grounds laughing to relieve the elves of several loaves of bread and a huge basket of picnic food. They spent the rest of the afternoon by the Black Lake feeding the giant squid loaves of bread, amazed and awed when it let them stroke it's tentacles, hysterical when it soaked Peter before sinking back into the depths of the lake.

Most of the other first-year students were similarly engaged, only the Slytherin students refrained from dashing around like over-enthusiastic puppies.   
Lucius had taken some of the first-years on a guided tour of the castle, making sure to show them the quickest and most direct routes to their classrooms and facilities on each floor. The Slytherin prefects would make sure they weren’t disgraced by any tardy behaviour in the first week, by the end of his tour there would be no excuses for getting lost within the school.

The small group of Slytherins came across Sirius and his friends while they were crossing a courtyard on the way to the tower which housed the Divination classroom. Neither Antares nor Severus were planning on taking the subject and would have been quite happy to laze in the courtyard waiting for the rest of their party to return. Lucius had insisted the accompanied the group, even though in all probability they would never visit the tower, there was no excuse to have gaps in one's knowledge. 

Dynamics had changed between the twins, the howler had made them stop and think, their hopes that their Hogwarts years would be more relaxed had been dashed and they had been brought to the realisation that they were under even stricter scrutiny than normal.   
They had been brought up in a traditional magical family, there would be no hugging both children knew that. Instead, they politely greeted each other with an inclination of the head and a murmured greeting of "Sirius", "Antares". 

Remus followed Sirius’ lead and didn't attempt to talk to Antares, he had a certain advantage over his friends, he could always sense peoples feelings and all he felt from Sirius and Antares was love.

Peter took the restrained greeting as a slight against their friend and James seemed to agree in hindsight he should have known better, he had been brought up in a pureblood family and Antares had put him in his place once before, this time was no different. 

He didn't stop Peter as the shorter boy stepped forwards into Antares personal space, he didn't even step in when Peters hand shot out and grasped Antares arm pulling her to a stop. 

The etiquette that his mother had insisted be drilled into him over the summer was niggling at him, this was not the way that any young lady should be treated, let alone a young lady of Antares social position. 

His mother had tried to explain that although Sirius and Antares were a part of the notorious house of Black and their father was undoubtedly prejudiced. His prejudice wasn't the distasteful blood prejudice the rest of the Black family was infamous for, it was merely that he was an incredibly rich pureblood patriarch and therefore naturally arrogant. 

She had also explained the way that marriages were handled in the Black family informing the disgusted boy that Antares Black was merely an expensive commodity to her mother. He had felt a little sorry for her when he realised that Antares would, in all likelihood never get to experience falling in love, the reality had been hammered home with Walburga Blacks howler, her fate was much worse than not loving her husband. She would be sold off to the man who would pay most for her, regardless of his age or political affiliations. 

He leaned in, still making no move to stop his friend, when Peter used his grip upon her wrist to drag her closer to him, bringing his face uncomfortably close to hers, he was a few inches taller than Antares and built more solidly, the size difference made the dark-haired girl look delicate and vulnerable. Although James thought that that probably couldn't be further from the truth.  
"Hey, what's wrong? Sirius not good enough for you now you're a slimy snake? You're just like your insane family aren't you Black?"

His words were quiet enough so that Sirius didn't hear them, Remus did and was about to step forward in defence of Antares when he realised he was too late. A shadow fell over the boy, Lucius Malfoy had turned to see what the delay was just in time to see a first-year Gryffindor boy grabbing hold of the newest Black inductee. 

He was impressed at the ferocity and contempt she managed to pack into the look she was giving the young Gryffindor and was more than a little surprised that he hadn't burst into flames or at least had the sense to unhand her. 

He was now in a little bit of a quandary and not for the first time since becoming prefect regretted accepting the badge, some days it was more trouble than it was worth. The way he should handle the current situation as a prefect was in direct opposition to how he should handle the situation as the scion of the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy. This behaviour was completely unacceptable, even if Antares hadn't been a member of a sacred twenty-eight family he would object to anyone manhandling a woman.

He was also acutely aware that the first year snakes had, as one person withdrawn their wands, the other houses may have scoffed at the movement after all none of the first years had even attended their first lesson at Hogwarts. But as a Slytherin, he understood and took the threat seriously most of the snakes were pureblood and taught offensive and defensive spells while at their mother's knee. 

They were born into magic, and their parents saw no reason why they shouldn't practice the magic which they had been blessed with. They also knew the ministry trace was a farce, which could not be used against magical households as they couldn't differentiate between over and underage magic. 

Stepping forward between the group and Antares he raised his hand to an outsider it was a casual gesture, to the snakes however it was a clear warning, one which they heeded and slid their wands back into their holsters, confident that their prefect would handle the situation.

“It is Mr Pettigrew isn’t it?" he asked, an imperious sneer crossed his handsome countenance. "I would appreciate it if you would unhand Miss Black, it is unseemly in the extreme. I would have thought your father would have taught you to respect ladies, especially ones of higher social standing. He is, after all, a ministry employee and he seems to knows his place in the face of more socially advantaged families. Do you think that he perhaps needs a reminder?” His voice was soft, uninterested, only Peter, Antares and himself knew what had been said.

Later people would tut and shake their heads at the impulsive and violent Gryffindor, he would swear to them that he had been threatened, they would ignore his excuses, having seen the calm demeanour of Lucius and the reaction of Antares. With Lucius’ political charisma and Antares consummate acting, they refuted his claim and were, mostly believed. Even if they weren't verbal provocation did not excuse out and out violence. 

The Gryffindor let go of Antares, shoving her roughly to the ground, James was closest to the confrontation and without thinking reached down and helped her to her feet. She thanked him softly and was about to say something else when a loud gasp drew their attention. The two of them turned in time to see Peter hurling himself at Lucius his fists and feet flying in an attempt to injure and humiliate the older boy. 

Sirius ignored the scuffle, using the distraction to move close to Antares to check if she was ok, she reassured him that she had suffered no ill effects before turning her attention to the scene in front of them. 

James and Remus had both groaned in despair, they moved forward grabbing the struggling boy by the arms, dragging him away from the altercation, they were both taller and fitter so it didn't take them too long to get him under control although he still struggled against them. Lucius slowly dusted himself off wondering if it was worth perhaps dropping a line to his father in regards to the elder Pettigrew, but decided that keeping that card in his hand was perhaps his best move. Sirius, now sure that his sister was ok seemed amused by the fight until he saw Antares glaring at him and he quickly wiped the grin off of his face. 

The commotion had drawn the attention of other groups of students and also Professor McGonagall, she strode out into the sunshine of the courtyard, she had appeared in time to see Potter and Lupin dragging Peter Pettigrew away from one of the third year Slytherin Prefects and a Malfoy no less. 

The students parted letting her through, Antares straightened her back and lifted her head, determined to meet the gaze of the stern Professor. Her father had spoken to her about how to act in the presence of each of the Professors that would be teaching her, Professor McGonagall would appreciate a logical mind with no hysteria.   
He had advised her not to use the same method when in the presence of Professor Dumbledore who he was a master Legilimens and apparently not above using the skill on unsuspecting students.   
She didn’t think that Professor McGonagall practiced the art, but if she did Antares was reasonably sure that her mental shields were sufficient to at least sense an attack being made upon her mind so that she could break eye contact. 

“What is going on here?” Peter refused to look up or speak, Antares glanced at Lucius who gave a slight shake of his head so she stayed silent, deferring to his authority as prefect. 

“Professor McGonagall I was taking this group of first-years to the divination tower so they don’t get lost when lessons begin. I became aware that one of my charges had been physically waylaid by Pettigrew. I asked him to let her go and informed him that it is not acceptable behaviour to manhandle witches and he flew at me, Potter and Lupin had to restrain him as you see.”   
The stern Professor glanced at Antares who was standing quietly next to Mr Malfoy her hands folded demurely in front of her. “Is this correct Miss Black?”

Antares weighed up her options, she could agree that this was what happened, she could further complain about the insults which the boy had thrown at her or she could admit that Lucius had indeed provoked Peter. Although it didn't take her particularly long, she was growing rather fond of Lucius Malfoy, he had gone out of his way to make her welcome into Slytherin and seemed to be looking out for her. She also didn't want to get the horrible boy into mThat'srouble than he'd alreaI’mbe in, he seemed to be one of her brothers chosen friends. 

“Yes Professor”. Peter was not going to take this lying down and once again started to struggle in the grasp of his friends “You filthy snakes you’re lying, you threatened my father! You're crazy like your parents.”

Antares opened her eyes wide as if surprised by the allegation, “Peter I don’t think I even know your father so how could I possibly threaten him?” A first-year Slytherin girl called out from the crowd “Perhaps you should familiarise yourself with the hired help?” A ripple of laughter flowed through the crowd of Slytherins and a few Ravenclaws had to cover their smiles, this confrontation was going to cost someone some points and they were glad it wouldn't be their house. 

Professor McGonagall whirled around “That is quite enough. Mr Pettigrew, I don’t care how this started, you were attacking a prefect who was not retaliating in any way, your friends had to restrain you, I am most disappointed. You will serve an hours detention with me for the next two nights and 20 points from Gryffindor.”   
She turned to Lucius and Antares “I am not entirely convinced that this is the whole story so 5 points will be taken from Slytherin”   
Lucius bent his head in gracious acceptance “Yes Professor” Antares mirrored his actions before moving off with the rest of the group on their continued tour of the castle. 

The small girl who had spoken up pushed past to walk next to Antares “I’m Belvina Burke, my grandmother, on my fathers' side was a Black, I'm named after her, rather a weight to bear, don't you think? Although nothing like the weight heaped onto the shoulders of the most senior albeit youngest Black girl. My brother is planning on offering for you, by the way, did you know? He thinks he has a real chance, apparently, our fathers have a few mutual businesses but that's all he had in his favour, he isn't particularly intelligent or good looking.   
Mother says nobody is ever going to want to marry me I’m too opinionated, of course, they aren’t the words she used, far too tactful for a pureblood mother, tough love and all that. That's fine with me though, I’m not sure I want to marry some pompous pureblood and pop out a dozen or so heirs and spares for him to sell off.” 

She paused for a moment and Antares found herself liking the girl walking with her, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to have a friend and she realised they even shared a dorm room. 

She recognised the name of Burke and of Belvina, the Burkes were a relatively wealthy family also members of the sacred twenty-eight. She quickly thought back to the lessons she had sat through about the other families. They were a family her mother seemed to approve of, which probably meant they were blood purists, her father had mentioned the fact that Oscar Burke was a rather shrewd businessman, they specialised in property, not many people were aware of the fact as the only property they used for personal use was a dark and dingy antique shop located in Knockturn Alley, known for selling rather questionable artifacts.   
Even then it was their business partner that fronted the business. Mr Borgin was a wizen old man with bad hygiene and in Antares opinion worse manners, she had been in the shop on several occasions while attending her mother. 

Belvina Black had been a beautiful young woman, there was a portrait of her hanging on the second landing of Grimmauld Place overlooking the entrance hall, she had been born to Antares Great Great Grandfather Phineas Nigellus Black who had been Headmaster of Hogwarts until his death in 1927.   
She had married well into the Burkes, it was a marriage that had pleased both houses and more fortuitously one which suited Belvina and her husband Herbert as they had been rather hopelessly in love. If her remembrances of the who’s who’s book of the wizarding world were correct Belvian’s son had married a Greengrass and this Belvina along with two brothers, one older and one younger had been the product of that union. 

“It’s nice to meet you Belvina, sorry about that altercation, it seems my aim of not drawing attention to myself flew out of the window about the time we left Platform 9 3/4.” Belvina laughed and looped her arm through the taller girls arm "Antares, I think we are going to be great friends!" and they continued on the rest of the tour heads together talking about and identifying other members of their house. It was always good to be able to identify someone's pedigree and both girls were determined to try and not marry anyone who was more closely related to them than second cousin. In Antares case at least it was a dream she knew that would very much be in the hands of her mother, who didn't seem to see any problems with the vaguely incestuous relationships which plagued their family tree. It was something she tried not to dwell upon. 

She introduced Belvina to Severus, who was polite, but much preferred the company of Evan Rosier and Joshiah Blishwick neither of which were inclined to talk about marriage or family lines and prefered to discuss the first-year curriculum and the chances of the Holyhead Harpies in the upcoming quidditch season.

Severus was learning quickly that influence was everything and was itching to send an owl to Flourish and Blotts to acquire some of the books Antares had referenced in her discussion of family lines, he knew he also needed appropriate reading materials to bring his knowledge of pureblood etiquette up to an acceptable standard. He knew emulating Antares would only get him so far as Men and Women in the wizarding world had such different roles. Not for the first time envied those who had the opportunity to grow up in a magical environment with easy access to magical materials.

Lucius got them back to the entrance hall just as lunch was starting, it had been a long morning and the first years eagerly dug into their meal chatting excitedly about the events of the morning.   
The Slytherin and Gryffindors point counters situated behind the long staff table looked sad in comparison to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, there hadn't been any lessons yet and very few opportunities to earn points, Bellatrix’ had lost Slytherin 50 points at the opening feast and Peter’s attack on Lucius had lost the Gryffindors 20 points. The gems in both glass counters had fallen below the minimum line into negative numbers. 

The afternoon was more relaxed, Antares, Belvina and Severus along with a few other first-year Slytherins took blankets out onto the grounds and sat reading and talking. 

Observing the way the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were tearing across the grounds shouting and screaming Severus decided he was glad to be in this little group, reading the books he loved and discussing intriguing potions he couldn’t wait to try out. Antares and Belvina described what it was like to grow up in a magical home, although Belvina was a member of a sacred twenty-eight family, it was a relatively minor one and the pressure to behave in a certain was less extreme. 

They both knew how to perform most of the first year spells and Antares had been taught a few which weren’t in the curriculum and that would in all fairness make people very wary of her. She was mostly interested in arithmancy and ancient runes and was disappointed that neither courses were available to first years, although she had managed to check out a couple of beginners guides from the library and was enjoying reading and solving the example equations. 

Belvina wanted to excel in charms and perhaps transfiguration, she said she would love to become an animagus, Severus had to ask what they were and immediately agreed with both girls that it would be wonderful to transform oneself into a creature, to feel the freedom of flight or the rush of exhilaration as you ran through the forest. 

Severus told them that when he had been little he had found Eileen's old school trunk, it was shoved into a corner of the tiny cramped cupboard under the stairs of Spinners End, most of the books had been damaged beyond repair except for two, he had hidden them under the floorboards of his bedroom, away from his drunken excuse for a father and his mousy submissive mother. At night he would pull them out and sit on the windowsill reading them by the light of the grimy streetlight which stood on the pavement outside his bedroom. 

He imagined himself carefully slicing, grinding, crushing and milking the weird and wonderful ingredients he read about and dreamt about using those ingredients to bottle fame, brew glory and put a stopper in death, how wonderful it would be to be in control of destiny, to hold a potion in his hands that would make such a difference, that would kill or cure, create or destroy, the mere thought of it always managed to send a bolt of fear and excitement through him. 

The other was a defence textbook, full of magical creatures and hints and tips on how to defend against them, secretly he'd always wanted to be a protector, something he couldn’t currently be, he longed to save his mother from the abuse his father brought home, but when he tried he only ended up in pain and his father still took out his rage on his mother. One day he would return home and show his father that he wasn’t a freak and neither was his mother he would show him that they were strong, that they were worthy, and that they deserved better than the ramshackle house and Tobis Snape.

He discussed potions with them and their own passion for learning settled the anxiety he had felt for being too bookish, he hadn’t wanted to be the odd one out at this school as he had been at his muggle primary school, wanting to read and learn everything he could so that he could better himself.

Antares marvelled at the ordinary conversations she was able to have without the pomp and circumstance of social propriety, right now she was just one of them, a first-year student eager to start her magical education. 

Belvina sighed in relief at finding friends who would be acceptable to her picky mother, but also shared her own passions, she didn’t want to be a pretty little stay at home society wife, hosting tea parties and charity drives, she wanted to be someone in her own right, an ambition scoffed at by traditionalists. 

They stayed out in the fresh air until the air started to feel damp, reluctantly they packed up their blankets and stacked their books for Severus to carry back to the common room, they had just enough time to change into the slightly fancier robes which members of Slytherin house were required to wear for evening meals.

The hall was packed, some students had missed lunch in their excitement to be back at the castle and explore their new surroundings and almost everyone had turned up to eat. There were a couple of exceptions from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, the new years had found the trick to entering the kitchens and had spent a good part of the day indulging themselves with all sorts of goodies the elves were preparing.   
Two Gryffindors who had entered into a prank war were also missing, both currently in the hospital wing while Madam Pomfrey tried to ascertain the spells which had managed to turn their skin green and hair a putrid pink, more points had been taken from Gryffindor. 

There were no speeches tonight, the children were left to eat their meal in peace and spread the gossip they had ferreted out throughout the day about former students and the newest intake of firsties.

Antares ate quietly listening to the chatter around her. She hadn't been surprised that the silly story about the twins of darkness had filtered through the gossip channels to the muggle-borns and others who hadn’t grown up in the wizarding world, with easy access to wizard literature. 

She was sad to hear of a new Hufflepuff who had lost his entire family in an attack upon his home, she had overheard her mother and father of talking about unrest among the purebloods and talk of an impending war but she hadn’t realised that people had started to die. She wondered what they had done to deserve that fate, she felt ashamed that the majority of her family supported the war, she knew it was targeting the “Filthy Bloods, Half Breeds and Creatures." 

She had also ascertained that the boy they were talking about was half-blood, if the psychotic leader of the "dark" had decided he was going to ‘off’ every half-blood in wizarding Britain there would be very few people left standing as most witches and wizards nowadays were three-quarter blood at best with the majority being half-blood or less.

For goodness sake, the Potters who could trace their heritage back to the Peverells had been excluded from the Sacred Twenty Eight at the whim of its author who thought that the name of Potter was too muggle in origin, which, given the surnames of other Sacred Twenty Eight families, indicated a personal bias held by Cantakerus Nott, as supposed to any real dilation in blood purity.

Severus too was listening to the gossip, the Slytherins were a little quieter than the other houses, they passed gossip to and fro like currency, Antares had explained to him that her confrontation with Bellatrix would certainly have reached a good portion of the pureblood patriarchs by way of the owl post, which was leaving Hogwarts on almost an hourly basis. She'd also explained that Bella wouldn’t have complained to her parents, they would have had no sympathy for her plight especially since on this occasion it was certainly her that had come off worse against a first year. 

Antares didn’t let her parents know either, her mother would have been apoplectic with rage, fighting was not a ladylike thing to do, especially within sight of witnesses. 

She was fairly confident that although most of the children sat at the table with her would have informed their parents of the discord between the cousins it would have gone no further. Her father may not be a blood purist, but he was a wizard to be feared and it was unlikely that any of the other family heads would have the courage to bring it up with either father or Cygnus, they would merely keep it, tucked away as possible ammunition for future reference. 

The friendship which seemed to have sprung up between Lucius Malfoy and Antares would also be hot gossip and word of the friendship would be winging its way to various families across the country. Their friendship paired with the highly inflated gossip regarding Antares encounter with the young Gryffindor and Lucius part in saving her, it could safely be assumed that the gossips would be awaiting a betrothal announcement.  
How easily their imagination jumped from friendship to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big portion of this chapter is Severus' backstory.

Antares woke early on Monday morning, the sun had just risen and was throwing orange rays of light across the grounds, mist clung between the trees of the forbidden forest, it made the limbs of the whomping willow look even more sinister than it did in full daylight, she was excited to start classes, she slipped quietly out of bed into her slippers, the fire had already been lit by a house-elf, but it hadn't yet warmed the huge flagstone floor. 

She had been invited into Andromeda’s room for a few moments the night before, the older girls had experienced living in the draughty castle with cold stone floors for long enough to have taken matters into their own hands each of them had an exquisite rug placed next to their bed, it wasn't nice to wake up from a lovely warm bed only for your feet to land on freezing stone. She made a note to herself to do the same, she was sure their father wouldn’t mind her packing one of the smaller Tabriz rugs from her own room at Grimmauld Place, although her mother would probably complain. 

She knew Andromeda from the tea parties they both had to attend with their mothers, but here at Hogwarts she was much more open, she had heard about the incident earlier in the day and wanted to check that Antares was ok, having assured Andi she was fine, she went to bed.

The bathroom was, thankfully empty so she had a hot shower, a few charms Grandma Melanie had taught her dried and straightened her hair. She hadn’t quite mastered the charms she had been shown to style it into intricate braids so she tied it up neatly with a deep green ribbon and left it at that, she had set her uniform out the night before and it only took a moment for her to get dressed.   
Her bookbag was already packed, she couldn't wait to start her magical education in earnest. 

As she left the dorm Belvinas head popped out from the bathroom door, "Tara, wait for me, we'll get good seats at breakfast together, I just need to do my hair. I'll only be a few minutes." Antares nodded and went to settle herself in a comfortable armchair, like the rest of the common room it was luxurious in the extreme, the cushions were covered in emerald green crushed velvet, they had multiple charms on them to protect them from the abuse of fifty or so young witches and wizards who used the room and their weighty book bags, filthy boots, quidditch robes, spilt tea, cigar ash from the older students and every other conceivable form of abuse. 

Closing her eyes she breathed deeply she could smell leather and the beeswax which was used nightly by the house-elves. Under that was a lingering scent of expensive Cigars, it made her feel calm, it reminded her of her father's study where she had spent many contented hours watching him working, escaping from the presence of their mother for a few precious hours while she drilled the boys on the correct way to petition a family for their daughter. How to court a young Witch from a Nobel family and how to treat Witches from acceptable, yet inferior families with kid gloves, they had been taught that these Witches were always looking to better their social position.

Of an evening younger years looked on in envy and fascination at the group of older students who lounged in luxurious insouciance, longing for the days when it would be them. 

During the colder months, they commandeered the deep plush armchairs arranged around the fire with the confidence of knowing ones place and the arrogance of knowing that place was at the top of the ladder. In the summer they enjoyed sitting by the windows their head of house conjured and charmed to allow them to feel the last dying rays of sunlight and the balmy summer breeze as it swept across the grounds rippling the still waters of the Black Lake and rustling it way through the tops of the trees.

They sipped pale, sweet Elf Wine from fine hand-cut crystal flutes, they never swilled or guzzled and never drank so much to be coarse or crass, they exuded elegance and refinement. 

On the low table in front of them lay a beautiful rosewood humidor, its surface shone like glass, worn by the gentle caresses of the many students who had sat there before. 

They didn't always smoke, but when they did a blue haze of fine Cigar smoke hung about them, shrouding them in a mysterious fog which only enhanced the air of untouchability they radiated.

She was pulled back to the present by the footsteps of Severus who, like the two girls had risen early, eager for their first lesson, he was a little irritated that they would be taught alongside the Gryffindors, from what he had observed a good portion of the first-year Gryffindors were fools, fools he wouldn’t trust in a potions lab.   
There were definite exceptions, the boy he'd sat with on the train with, Remus Lupin, had easily and enthusiastically discussed their textbooks and if Antares was to be believed, her brother and James Potter would both have a solid, good working knowledge of basic potions. 

As Severus looked down at Antares sat elegantly in the large armchair, his thoughts turned guiltily to his childhood friend Lily Potter and how different the two young women were. 

It seemed like an age ago that they had met, they were both born in Cokeworth Mill Hospital, the name was a throwback to a more prosperous time for the town, when the huge chimneys which loomed over the red brick terraces built to house the workforce, belched smoke and steam into the sky. Soot and ash fell, discolouring the brick leaving the houses looking dirty and dishevelled. Back to a time when workers streamed from the houses to the mills to earn a pittance for long days of hard slog, a golden age for the empire, for the town, but not for the downtrodden masses who huddled in their tiny kitchens around their solid fuel fires, several families cooped up together in penury. 

The industry had died, families moved away following the work, the old Snapes had stayed, Patrick Snape was too set in his ways to move to a new town, make a new life for himself and his family. His younger children had left, much to his disgust, they found themselves new jobs, his two boys, now young men worked at the docks as riveters, they dreamt of very different futures, from the one mapped out for them by their father.   
One married a spirited young lady, they had a brood of equally spirited children who went on to have exciting and varied lives. The other dreamt of one day sailing off across the ocean on one of the ships he helped to build, he worked hard day and night, saving his wages for that golden opportunity. Eventually, he made off across the sea on a liner bound for Argentina where he settled down to a quiet life, he had one child with a local girl, they named him João and the Snapes became deeply entrenched in South America.   
The girls had no trouble in finding maid positions in big houses as housemaids, the youngest married the local bobby. The oldest had no particular interest in settling down and worked hard earning the position of housekeeper during her lifetime she earned herself a sizable nest egg which she used traversing the Southern Counties. None of them ever went home. 

The same could not be said for the oldest child Tobias Snape, he was a sullen man, dark and brooding, he stayed after the factory closed in what he called 'duty to his family' he was soon to learn about duty the hard way with the outbreak of World War II. Britain was short of soldiers for the conflict to come. Tobias’ brothers, both ensconced in reserved occupations served out their war on British soil. His mother Grace cried when his conscription letter, Tobias was shipped off to France, he rather enjoyed his time in the Army, for once he was respected by the general population, he didn’t stand out, he was a soldier among other soldiers, unfortunately, his war came to an abrupt end when a shell exploded a little too close for comfort permanently affecting his hearing and he returned home more bitter than ever, there were no heroes welcomes for him. 

He spent more and more time in the local pub with Patrick, work was hard to find and they survived on the money Tobias could pull in working on the land and the money Grace earnt charring for the rich families on the neighbouring estate which had been built for the mill owners and management.   
Grace died at home, exhausted and alone.   
Most of her children had fled the oppressive atmosphere of the town and their father and Tobias had crawled into a bottle. 

It had been in these even darker days that Eileen Prince had appeared, she was a pretty girl, with dark hair and dark eyes, she was well-spoken and stuck out like a sore thumb in the filthy pub the Snapes frequented. Tobias was fascinated by her gentle manner and soft voice, she had quickly acquired a job collecting dirty glasses from the tables, serving out the hot stews and ploughmans lunches to the farm labourers who crowded into the bar filled the tables twice a day. She ignored their boisterous manners and flushed prettily when the comments towards her became too bawdy. Tobias never joined in, he just watched her quietly and glowered at the worst offenders, It seemed he wasn’t the only one with a fascination, she had also been watching him as he sat day after day staring into his tankard of ale. On particularly bad days, when the memories of war got too much he ordered whisky and she left the bottle next to him allowing him to drown his sorrows in the amber liquid. 

She grew bolder, serving him with a small smile, allowing her hand to linger against his fingers as she took his money, at first she seemed a little confused by the coins he handed her, fumbling over the change.   
He had wondered if she was, perhaps feeble-minded, exiled from her family, it was a notion he dismissed as he watched her, she was sharp and witty although a little bit shy, she seemed to be watching for something, her head shot up every time the bar door opened, her shoulders tensed and she looked ready to run. Seeing only regular customers she relaxed, going back to serving or cleaning. He spent so much time in that smoke-filled little room that it felt a lot like home and he lost the diffidence he had held onto so tightly over the years and started to speak to her, a Good Morning and Good Evening to start with, she addressed him as Mr. Snape, he boldly told her that his father was Mr. Snape, he was Tobias, his name coming from her lips drove him.on to ask her to accompany him to a dance at the local farm, she accepted, he wasn't a good dancer and was inclined to sit on the periphery looking in on others fun, she coaxed him onto the crowded dance floor, he was pleasantly surprised nobody commented, all too enraptured in their own romance. 

They met many more times outside the pub, during this time Tobias found himself drinking less, his temper, always more on the moribund side improved and he started to enjoy life, it was on one of their walks in the countryside that Eileen opened her heart to him, she described her family, they were rich socialites, they had arranged a marriage for her to a man of good family, but he was a man she could never love or respect for his beliefs were dark and his morality corrupt.   
He wondered what she saw in him, she could have money and position, things he could only dream of, things he envied and he didn’t understand why she would leave all of that behind, it was a resentment which would grow over the years and burst forth when he drank too much.   
Eileen, in turn, enjoyed the time with Tobias, he was as gentlemanly as the men in Cokeworth got, he never said lewd things to her or swatted her behind as she moved about the pub, she liked that he seemed to need her, it was this that lead her down a long and dangerous path she should never have tread upon, one she would never escape from. 

His mind was so open, so vulnerable and she always had been good at arts of the mind, slipping into the depths of his thoughts and feelings had been easy, she had tried to numb his pain, take away the darkness, but when she slipped unobtrusively back into her own head his darkness only returned and he clung to her even more tightly. 

To begin with, she relished the feeling and she gave herself to him one April night beside the river, only the sound of the running water accompanied their clumsy and frankly unfulfilling lovemaking. He rapidly became possessive, growling darkly at patrons who deigned to look at her in a manner he found to be inappropriate, he threw himself into physical confrontations with a vigour and an undisguised enjoyment which disturbed her. She had decided to move on, find a new place to shelter when she realised she was pregnant and even in the more progressive muggle world an unmarried mother was a disgrace and there was no way she could run and abandon the baby, it carried magical blood and magical blood, was sacred. 

She did something she had never done before she visited Tobias at the home he shared with his father, Spinners End. He was surprised when he opened the door to her and blocked the entrance, ashamed that his home was shabby and unkempt, ashamed of the withered elderly man who sat huddled in front of a dying fire, ashamed of the evidence of his own failings to provide and his growing dependence on alcohol. 

She was insistent that he saw her and ducked under his making her way into the dimly lit kitchen, the table was littered with dirty plates and empty bottles, against one wall stood a coat and boot stand, his shabby overcoat hung limply next to a ladies Sunday best, a reminder of his mother that he would rather hide or sell, but which his father insisted on keeping.  
His boots were carelessly discarded upon the floor, uncleaned, his satchel slung down next to them. 

The porcelain sink, once bright white, was discoloured nicotine yellow, a colour which reminded her of the teeth of the man she had come to speak with, she made a determined effort not to stare at the pile of filthy dishes piled high in the sink. Instead, she stared up into his eyes, "Toby, I've got something I need to tell you." She took a breath trying to steady her nerves and not for the first time lambasted herself for having been so stupid, there were charms to prevent this sort of thing and while she had been trying not to use her wand she knew she was being stupid, her family were wealthy, but not to so much so that they would be able to bribe an entire ministry department to access her trace file. 

And they were pure, but not ancient enough to perform illegal blood magic upon their children to trace their magical signature as part of course. It had been stupid and careless. He opened his mouth to silence her, to suggest talking elsewhere, but she was determined. "Toby, I'm pregnant." She hoped the use of her pet name for him would soften the blow, make him more amenable to talking, and would convince him that she really was fond of him.   
For a moment she wondered if he had heard her, he didn't seem to move, his eyes still bore into hers, unflinching. It seemed like an eternity before he spoke, his voice was rough, "you stupid little cow, how could you let this happen? Just know this, you won't be getting anything from me, oh no my girl." 

A dry brittle cough sounded from behind them, Eileen jumped and by the look on Tobias's face he too had forgotten that there was someone else in the room, they both turned to face the elderly man who rose unsteadily to his feet leaning heavily on a stout Blackthorn stick to support himself. "Tobias! Pull a chair up to the fire for the young lady. It's colder than a witch's teat in here." He turned to Eileen and smiled "If you pardon the expression, my dear, please sit down, what is your name?" Tobias did as he was told bringing a chair forward from the small kitchen table, Eileen sat down gingerly, between Tobias' reaction to the news and the old man's unfortunate use of saying she felt as if she'd had the breath knocked out of her and she was unable to do more than raise a small smile for the thin elderly man, who must be Tobias' father Patrick Snape. 

He reached over and patted one of her hands which she had folded neatly in her lap. "Now my dear don't you listen to Tobias, he is merely in shock, as am I, I was afraid he'd always be on his own and that no young lady would be able to see past that dour look he always has plastered across his face. You, of course, have a place here, it isn't much but there are a couple of bedrooms upstairs you can choose from. I must say it will be nice to have a young lady about the house. My poor wife died a few years ago and I do miss her, a woman knows how to brighten up a house and make it a home." 

Tobias couldn't believe what he was hearing, his father had invited this conniving little cow to stay in their house, he opened his mouth to argue but the look on his father's face stopped him. "Excuse us Miss….?" Eileen answered, "Oh I'm sorry sir, I'm Eileen, Eileen Prince." He nodded "Excuse us, we need to have a brief discussion. Tobias take my arm, we can speak in the sitting room." Tobias obediently helped his father shuffle from the room closing the door firmly behind him without a second glance at the figure of his previously beloved Eileen as she sat hunched over and dejected, lit by the pale flickering light of the fire. 

Their chat was brief, even in his emaciated form Patrick was dominant, he questioned Tobias closely about the girl, how long had they been seeing each other? How had they met? Did he really believe that the child may not be his? At this Tobias had to admit that, however much he wished to distance himself from the thought of having a child that, no he had no doubts about Eileen's fidelity and that he was certainly the only man who could have fathered the child which she carried. His admission was enough for Patrick who rummaged through the drawers of a mahogany veneer sideboard, he withdrew his hand with an exclamation of triumph, in his hand, he held a small velvet-covered ring box he handed it to Tobias. "This was your mother’s, do the right thing son. She’d have wanted a grandchild.” Tobias opened the ring box, inside was a gold band, a single small stone set in a bezel setting, it was simple but beautiful, he didn’t really remember his mother wearing it very often outside the occasional mill dance. Sighing he nodded at his father and left the room closing the door silently behind him, he paused for a moment in the hallway wondering what he would say, he’d never wanted children, never thought about being a father, but here he was on the brink of having his own family, he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that fact all he knew was that he couldn’t disobey his father. 

Opening the kitchen door he paused to look at Eileen, she was pretty enough, she wasn’t stunning, but she was homely, he stepped through a little unsure of his words, he knew he hadn’t handled the news of her pregnancy well. “Eileen?” She looked up at him, she didn’t look angry, if anything she looked relieved that he was back, he ran his hand through his hair uncomfortably. Eileen heard him come back into the room, she was set to give him a piece of her mind when she saw his face, he was looking uncomfortable and vulnerable, she paused waiting to see what he said. “Look, Eileen, I'm not romantic, I don’t know how to make grand gestures, I was shocked when you said you were pregnant and I definitely didn’t handle myself well, I'm sorry for calling you stupid.” He moved closer seating himself on the arm of the chair his father had just vacated, he looked at her as he continued, “Eileen, my father is right, I can be dour and moody, but I do care about you, I feel free when I'm with you, will you become my wife? Will you raise our child in this house with me as your husband?”

Her eyes filled with tears, she knew that he hadn’t planned to marry her, in all honesty, she had no plans to marry him, she wanted freedom away from parents that were insistent she married the man they chose for her. Maybe she had chosen to get close to Tobias because he was as far from the kind of man they would have picked for her that she could get. “Oh Tobias, yes, I will marry you. I would love to be your wife.” She held out her hand letting him clumsily slip the ring onto her finger, he cleared his throat uncomfortably, “It was my mothers, my father thinks that she would want you to have it because she’d have loved to meet her grandchild.” 

The couple had been married in a small ceremony at the small church which served the community of Cokeworth and the surrounding villages. Patrick Snape seemed prouder of his offspring on the occasion of his marriage than he had ever been before. Life seemed to go on, as usual, Eileen went to work at the pub, she cleaned the house until it sparkled and she cooked for her husband and father in law, she turned a blind eye to Tobias’s continued drinking, he worked when he found suitable seasonal work on the land, at times he worked for a week or two before his drinking became a problem and he was relieved of his position. 

She went into labour on a cold January night in Cokeworth Mill Hospital, she fell in love with the small bundle placed in her arms by a starched white midwife, he was an adorable baby with a dark tuft of hair and shining intelligent eyes. Tobias didn’t know what to do, he held his new son with suspicion, the helpless baby wriggled and looked up at him in blind adoration his tiny fists grabbing for his father. It was in that moment that Eileen decided their child would be called Severus, a name common in her own family. Severus Tobias Snape was christened at the same church his parents were wed. 

Patrick Snape was determined to do things right, Patrick adored his grandson the moment he set eyes on him declaring the tiny baby had inherited the dark eyes of his Grandmother. Unfortunately, the years of hard and punishing work at the mill and subsequent years of drinking took its toll upon Patrick, he died when Severus was just 18 months old.   
To everyone’s surprise, Patrick Snape left a will, and to their even greater surprise, he was a wealthy man, the four children who had set out on their own had sent money back to their parents which the couple had saved, their eldest son had invested a small amount of the capital for them and Patrick had reaped the rewards.

I, Patrick Ignatius Snape of the parish of Cokeworth in the county of Derbyshire, do hereby leave this document as my last will and testament. I give and bequeath everything I die possessed of to my grandson Severus Tobias Snape, born on the ninth day of January nineteen hundred and sixty. I hereby name Eileen Snape (nee Prince) executor to this Will, to hold in trust the property known as Spinners End and all my monetary assets until his eighteenth birthday. Income from my modest pension and investments handled by my eldest son may be used by Eileen Snape to care for herself and my grandson, the capital being his to do with what he likes on his eighteenth birthday.  
To my son Tobias Snape, I am sorry my son, I am sorry that I didn’t force you to move away from this town with your siblings, they have a made a life for themselves, you have stayed rotting in this place, crawling into a bottle and not facing up to responsibilities that have become yours. I am sorry that I was not the father which you deserved and needed, I appeal to you, love your wife and child, do not follow in my footsteps, they care for you a great deal. To you, I leave £100 to do with as you wish.   
Signed & Sealed on this day Eleventh of January Nineteen Hundred and Sixty in the presence of Messrs Harding & Trace Esq.

Tobias left the solicitors office quickly leaving Eileen and Severus to walk home to Spinners end alone, Tobias’ suspicion of his son only grew from that day, he hated that a mere child would inherit everything, he resented every smile and childish laugh, he blamed Eileen for losing the inheritance he had counted on, true, he had no idea how wealthy his father had become in his last years, but he wanted the house and the income from the pension his father was still due. He didn’t take the advice of Patrick and he was now very rarely sober, he spent more time in the pub, Eileen left him to his own devices, unable to put up with his jealous temper at home and at work. She started to clean for local families unwilling to rely only on the income Patrick had left her in charge of, determined to make sure that her son was well provided for when the time came, unwilling to show any signs of wealth to her jealous husband afraid of his temper. She was too scared to try and reconnect with her own family, unsure of the reception she would receive having disgraced the name of Prince with her defiance. 

Lily looked around nervously, surely this wasn’t where the boy she met in the park really lived, he said his mother was a witch, was this really the conditions magical folk lived in? She took a deep breath and counted to ten. Steeling herself she reached up and knocked softly on the wooden door, almost immediately the door opened and there stood Severus, her jaw dropped a little, she had seriously thought he had been playing a trick on her and would jump out of the nearby alley shouting boo scaring her half to death. 

She tried to peer around him into the house, hoping that perhaps the inside was more friendly and inviting, he tried to block her view a small patch of colour flooding his normally pale cheeks, she saw the unpolished floor, grimy and uncleaned, the stairs uncarpeted and dirty moth-eaten curtains hanging lankly over the dirty windows. 

Lily realised too late that her disgust at the conditions and the pity she felt for him had shown on her face, she knew him enough to know that the pity wouldn’t be welcome, he hated that. “Let's go”, he spoke gruffly keeping his head down, unable to look into her bright green eyes, unable to bear what he’d see there. He’d made a mistake in letting her know where he lived, she’d never let it go now, he’d be her new project, just like the lost puppy she’d found in the park, she’d spent hours knocking on doors looking for its owner, she’d fed it, groomed it and looked after it until it’s owner was found. 

She followed him away from Spinners End, glancing back once or twice to see if anyone was at one of the windows watching go an affectionate smile on their face, maybe a raised hand waving him goodbye, but the house remained still and silent. 

He led her to the park wondering once again why he hadn’t just arranged to meet her there, as usual, her voice made him look up it was quiet and hesitant, not at all like the Lily he knew who was vibrant, enthusiastic, and chirpy, the exact opposite of him. She didn’t sound sure of herself, looking into her eyes hurt him and he looked away quickly, “Lily, don’t…. Please” he felt weak, felt like he was begging her to let him have this little bit of privacy, he didn’t want to talk about it, think about it or address it at all. 

To distract her he picked a budding rose, he closed his eyes, feeling the warmth and comfort of his magic as it flowed through his body racing and pouring in golden waves, toward his hand, his fingers tingled and the corner of his mouth twitched in a small smile. He didn’t need to open his eyes to see if his magic had worked, the gasp of pure wonder that burst from his friend told him all he needed to know. Opening his eyes he reached out his hand offering the small gift to the auburn-haired girl in front of him. To his eternal gratitude, Lily never mentioned his homes condition again. 

He knew he had been sorted into the right house, he had always had a sneaking suspicion that Slytherin would be his.home at Hogwarts and that Lily would most definitely not fit into the snake pit for a variety of reasons. It had only been a day or two but he felt he truly belonged. He felt guilty that he'd hardly seen or spoken to Lily since the sorting although he'd been totally truthful with himself Lily hadn't taken the time to seek him out either. Perhaps today that would change, he noticed on their timetables that they shared several lessons with the Gryffindors. It would also give him a chance to observe the dynamics between his new friend Antares and her twin brother Sirius.


	9. Chapter 9

The Great Hall was bustling with activity, first years were loudly and excitedly discussing the lessons they were due to start that day. The third years had just been handed their new timetables, they were less excited than the younger students and compared their days with those of their friends, it was the first year they would be taking classes apart from their friends, it was rather nerve-wracking for them. 

Sirius had abandoned the strict table manners of home and was enthusiastically wolfing down eggs, bacon, sausages and a pile of hot buttered toast. Although he had decided not to observe his mother's rules, the girls in his house who had been watching how Peter and Chadwick ate with disgust were glancing admiringly at James, Frank, Remus and Sirius who ate using their cutlery. 

This morning they sat apart from Peter, there had been a slight altercation between him and Sirius earlier that morning when Peter had started whining about having to share lessons with the slimy snakes. He added that they were all evil and shouldn't even be allowed at the school, let alone be forced upon decent witches and wizards. 

James had stopped Sirius from launching herself at Peter, Remus also helped though he was rather half-hearted in his effort. Antares, Severus and even Lucius Malfoy had been nothing but civil towards him, and it was the second time Peter had called Sirius' twin evil.

The first day of lessons always had a few hiccups, this year was no exception. Having spent the weekend exploring, it was hoped that the students were familiar enough with the castle to not end up hopelessly lost on their way to lessons. However, there had to be several exceptions and a couple of first years got stuck on one of the staircases as it swung around and an impatient fifth-year prefect had to usher them back down to their Charms class.

It was also a crash course in learning how bad an idea it was to mix Slytherins and Gryffindors in class, although it had become a tradition ever since Professor Dumbledore became Headmaster. Every year the first weeks' staff meeting was fueled by firewhiskey and entreaties to the Headmaster to rethink the way the houses were split for lessons. Adolescent young people rarely had complete control over their emotions and adding magic into the mix was a recipe for disaster. They had no objections to all of the houses being mixed once the students reached their third year and split off into smaller groups. By that point they had two years of schooling under their belts, their hormones had, hopefully, settled somewhat and they had a tighter grip upon their magic. The argument was always the same as was the outcome, Dumbledore was determined to promote house unity.

One of the worse examples of the Gryffindor, Slytherin divide had happened during Potions.  
The bright and beautiful muggleborn Lily Evans had immediately barged to the front of the class, determined to be able to see and hear everything. She knew the answer to all of the questions Professor Slughorn asked and her hand shot up eagerly over and over again, waving madly if he looked to ask another student for their answer.  
One of the snakes, fed up with her overeagerness muttered quietly. "Teachers Pet." Another less restrained voice replied, its tone dripping with disgust "She needs to be, filthy mudblood!"

Thankfully it wasn't a practical lesson; otherwise, the fallout would have been far worse, one of the Gryffindors who had heard the taunting launched himself at the Slytherin student, knocking him off of his bench onto the floor. 

As it was there were a few scuffs and bruises, 20 points taken from each house and both students were assigned a week of detention. Antares had glanced at Sirius who was watching the fight, he showed no signs of shock, and he certainly wasn't going to be joining in. The same couldn't be said of Peter, who was edging nearer to the action looking excited, and she felt a shudder of disgust at his anticipation.

Severus had turned to look at Lily, it was evident she hadn't heard the remark and was looking confused and horrified at the conduct of the two boys. Antares hadn't moved, she was looking at him with an inscrutable look on her face, it was obvious that she had heard and was wondering what his reaction would be. 

He thought he had been prepared to hear what people would about his muggleborn friend. Still, he found the hot thrill of anger which spiked in his chest almost unbearable, for so long she had been the only good thing in his life, she had kept his secrets, she had brought picnics to the park for them, supplementing his meagre diet without comment.

Antares laid her hand on his arm, a small reassuring smile on her face.  
"Leave it Sev, it'll get worse if you intervene. Sirius will make sure she's ok."  
Her voice was quiet, so only he would hear, he fixed his eyes on her, his gaze unfriendly.  
"I thought you were different! Evidently not!" He ignored her sigh of resignation and turned his back on her, disgusted. 

Belvina was a godsend, she sat next to Antares in every lesson, she understood, she was part of the same social sphere. Severus was trying to learn and understand from outside and didn't have much of a frame of reference. After all, he hadn't known any Witches or Wizards apart from his mother and Lily until he arrived at Hogwarts. 

The next few days were much the same until the Professors established a greater measure of control over the warring houses. 

Mealtimes for Antares were lonely, Severus continued to ignore her, she appreciated that Belvina had other friends and she encouraged her to sit with them, she wasn't sure she'd make a particularly pleasant dining companion anyway. 

Sirius had taken to sweeping her into classrooms appealing to her sense of self-preservation, accusing her of being clueless and naive for not refusing their mothers' order to go back to Grimmauld Place. 

That, paired with the fact that Bellatrix had decided that physically attacking the little witch again would not be a wise course of action, so instead decided to pick fault with everything about Antares to her friends in loud grating tones. 

Antares was about ready to hex the next person who spoke to her. 

To her credit, it took her until halfway through their second week to snap.

Antares was approached in a corridor by a third-year Ravenclaw boy who had asked her if it was true that her mother and father were really siblings and if her and Sirius were planning to marry as well. 

She had snatched her wand from its holster before she realised what she was doing and held him at wand point, snarling at him that if he dared to look at her again, let alone approach or speak to her, she would make sure he never looked at or spoke to anyone ever again. 

He had started to laugh at the absurdity of a first year threatening a student with two extra years of education. Before one look at her face made him almost piss himself in fear and remember who she was, at that moment she was every bit the embodiment of the Black family, and she looked like she would use the most painful dark spells on him if he spoke another word. 

Lucius who had been patrolling the corridor in question groaned and pushed Medici forward with the whispered command not to get cursed. Turning his back, pretending not to see, he really didn't want to punish one of his own house, let alone a Black. 

He had realised early on that Medici seemed to have some sort of feelings for the girl, and he had questioned his friend closely who had admitted that he was drawn to her, that he felt like he needed her, he wanted to be close to her and the howler her and her brother had got made him want to visit Walburga Black and teach her a harsh lesson or two.

He hoped that if anyone could talk her down without anyone getting hurt, it would be Medici.

Medici approached the slender girl carefully, he spoke quietly hoping she didn't whirl around and attack him before asking any questions.  
"Antares, as much as I agree that you should curse the ignorant little ingrate for insulting you, you can't, not here in the corridor." 

He reached out his hand connected with her wrist, she gasped as he gently pulled her away, tucking her into his side, his hand still on her wrist, keeping her wand arm restrained. He didn't look at her, he merely glared at the other student.  
"Leave, and if you value your safety, don't approach her again, it may not be her wand, you'll have to worry about." 

Lucius joined them as Medici gently pulled Antares into a quiet classroom, she hadn't pulled away from him and had allowed him to guide her away. He was enjoying the feeling of her body pressed into his side, she fit perfectly, he could have rested his chin on top of her head and enveloped her even more snugly into his arms. However, he was well aware that social propriety would not allow for that extent of contact even if he was currently being chaperoned by a somewhat vexed Lucius Malfoy.

"Piccola, what were you thinking? You'll get expelled if you let cockroaches like him get to you." 

She looked surprised at the affectionate moniker a delicate blush rose on her cheeks. 

"I'm sorry to bother both of you, I shouldn't have let his stupid assumptions bother me, it's been a slightly stressful couple of weeks. I naively thought that at Hogwarts, some of the pressure of being the daughter of Orion and Walburga Black would be alleviated." 

A bitter laugh escaped her lips before she took a deep, steadying breath and stepped away from Medici, vowing to examine the feelings being close to him had invoked in her at a later date.  
Inclining her head respectfully, she quickly left the room to attend her next lesson. 

Medici ran his fingers through his hair, drawing a look from Lucius.  
"You and I are going to sit down and discuss this Zabini, she's a Sacred Twenty Eight Princess, this is not something that is going to be easy or kindly looked upon. Whatever your intentions are Walburga has big plans for her!"  
Medici nodded.  
"I am well aware of who she is, and I realise that Walburga will want to sell her to whoever will provide her with the greatest fortune or influence. I may not be Sacred Twenty Eight, but both you and I know that my family is as ancient as any in the directory and our wealth equals, if not outstrips most of the families deemed worthy." 

Lucius agreed, but he still had the unsettled feeling that things would not turn out the way anyone hoped. 

Antares slid into her seat next to Belvina, she was lucky she hadn't ended up late to class, Belvina leaned towards her.  
"How are you doing? There's a bit of gossip that you threatened to end Percy Blackthorpe?"  
Antares groaned and massaged her temples, the day was turning out to be a total bust, and she was getting a headache. The concerned looks Sirius was sending towards her really didn't help any. 

"It was ridiculous of me, I don't know why I bit, after all, it's not the first crack I've heard about keeping it in the family and I doubt it'll be the last. I'll be lucky to marry someone who isn't at least a cousin once or twice removed." 

Belvina grinned.  
"You were bound to snap at someone eventually, at least this time it wasn't a Black Bitch showdown." 

Antares rolled her eyes, Belvina had started to refer to her and Bellatrix' disagreements, arguments and general encounters as Black Bitch showdowns. She was the only person who didn't seem to either completely lose the plot or vacate the area hastily when the two young women clashed, which seemed to be an almost daily occurrence. Although Bella hadn't attacked her again and neither of them had hexed the other quite yet. 

She managed to get through their Transfiguration lesson without getting into trouble, and her distraction went mostly unnoticed because Belvia gave her a little shove when she was called upon or when she had retreated too far into her own thoughts. 

Sirius had been standing outside of the Transfiguration classroom with his friends, they had been busy raiding the kitchen for a midmorning snack between classes; therefore they had missed the confrontation between Antares and the Ravenclaw. 

They hadn't missed the shocked gossip which followed.

"Did you see her?" 

"Poor guy did you see how pale he was, she's mad!" 

James glanced at Remus and Sirius pushed himself off the wall and was listening intently to the gossip, he had a sinking feeling that the gossip was about his sister.

"Zabini pulled her away, and I swear Malfoy was pretending not to see slimy snakes getting away with everything." 

"She's just as insane as Bellatrix. Did you see her eyes, she's crazy." 

He glanced around but couldn't see Antares, he saw Severus stood looking disinterested before his eyes met those of Belvina who gave him a small nod, it was definitely his sister they were talking about.

"Find out what happened." 

He instructed his friends, he turned away and was about to retreat to find his sister when Professor McGonagall turned up, sweeping the students into the classroom in front of her. Sirius was relieved to see Antares slip in before the class had settled into their seats. 

Peter, always eager to share the gossip, especially if he thought there would be drama as the result of him chattering maliciously piped up. 

"She went mad, shoved her wand into this third year's throat, threatened to blow his head off, told him he wasn't fit to lick the boots of the Blacks' all he did was say hello. Apparently, she told him that if he ever approached her or spoke to her again, she'd finish him in the most painful way she knew. That Zabini snake had to drag her away, and she was struggling, everyone's surprised that she didn't hex him, but the rumour is that they're always sneaking off alone."

Remus glared at the pudgy little boy his hand rested on Sirius's arm, stopping him from storming across to where Antares was sitting and demanding what the hell she was up to. 

"That's not quite what I heard Sirius, a third-year Ravenclaw was taunting her about your parents and their relationship, he went on to ask if she was promised to you until someone better came along." 

Peter unconcerned by the real story, shrugged his shoulders and went back to organising his parchment and ink. 

The class dragged for both siblings, Antares hoped she would have time after class to retreat alone and get herself together during lunchtime; however, that wasn't to be, as soon as they were dismissed Sirius cornered her and dragged her with him away from the rest of the students. 

As soon as they were far enough away from prying eyes, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close like he did when they were hiding from their mothers' wrath together at home.  
For the first time in two weeks, he didn't lecture her, he just held her, and she felt herself relax. 

During their lesson, he had had enough time to think about the last few weeks. He cursed himself, he should have been paying more attention to his sister, she had been holding herself more stiffly than usual, her mask seemed so much colder, more closed off and he'd been berating her when she'd needed him to support her.

"Tara" he murmured.

"I'm so sorry I should have been there for you. I've been so busy enjoying not being a Black, not pretending, not watching everything I do and say I've not thought about the fact that you have to keep up the pretence at all times, that showing impropriety in Slytherin is a quick way to be punished." 

He tightened his grip on his sister and took a deep breath.  
"What happened Tara?" 

Her voice was soft.  
"Severus is angry with me because I didn't stand up for his friend Lily, I advised him to stay quiet as well. Bella is taking every opportunity to pick at our side of the family. I know I haven't a choice about the holidays and I'm not stupid enough not to realise that she'll punish me for daring to speak out of turn. Then that Claw followed me all the way from potions he was saying he'd heard that our parents were siblings. That we kept it in the family and that we were more than likely promised to each other, that our children would be even more screwed up than us. I snapped Siri." 

She squirmed out of his arms and looked around, they were in a deserted corridor, sighing and she slid down to sit on the floor, her typical poise giving way to an informality shared only between the siblings. 

"Siri, I'm scared, it happens more frequently, I don't want to end up like Bella or Mother, but the anger is so hard to hold in sometimes, I can feel it in my head, I can hear my heartbeat like the anger is being pumped through my veins. I wanted to hurt that kid, I genuinely wanted him to suffer, and I knew I could do it. I knew I had knowledge that would sicken most of our classmates."

He sat next to her, he too felt the dark potential within himself although being sorted into Gryffindor had fulfilled his desire for freedom and somewhat dulled the swirling conflict in his heart. Reaching out, he held her hand. 

"I feel the same at time Tara, I guess it's just part of being a Black. I once complained to Uncle Alphard that sometimes the anger felt like it would swallow me whole, he told me something that made me feel better. 'We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are'" 

He laughed suddenly. 

"Listen to me being the wise big brother. Who'd have thought it?"

She joined in his laughter.  
"We've always been good at settling each other down. As irresponsible as you can be, you do see sense at times."

They sat in companions le silence for several more moments, Antares felt more relaxed than she had since they arrived at Hogwarts. 

She was thinking about Medici Zabini, the handsome fourth year who had approached her, without fear of her turning her wand upon him, she was reliving the feeling of his hand firmly on her wrist forcing her to lower her wand and the way she felt when he had pulled her close into his body. 

She had felt anger that he'd dare touch her; however, the feeling flew out of her mind almost immediately her magic was practically purring, it wanted to reach out to him, and his seemed to reciprocate the feeling. 

Even now, she imagined that she could still feel the static of his magic dancing across her skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps. She really didn't think that Sirius would be up for that discussion though so she kept those revelations to herself. 

Pulling herself out of her reverie, she spoke.

"Come on, your friends will think the sneaky snake has kidnapped you if you don't get back to them. Remus is the only one that doesn't regard me with abject horror every time I approach you." 

He stood up and took her hand to help her to her feet, he pulled her into his arms, kissing her temple. Neither of them noticed they were being observed nor heard the retreating footsteps, the rumour that they really were promised to each other would be all over school by the end of lunch and would persist for many years to come fueled by the close relationship the twins continued to maintain.

"Yeah, they don't know you though, perhaps not glaring at Peter would help a little bit? I think you scare him. And yes, I know he offended you almost immediately, but give him a break, he's a decent bloke."

She sighed but nodded, she didn't for one moment believe that Peter Pettigrew was a decent bloke, he was always ready with an insult for any passing Slytherins and his attitude towards Witches was disturbing and made her feel uncomfortable.


End file.
